The Silent Moon
by kaze no akatsuki
Summary: The responsibilities of a daimyo are often overlooked or underrated...until war looms on the horizon. Who knew there was a prophecy? Sesshomaru certainly didn't...but, it seems there are MANY things Sesshomaru did not know before this war began...like the fact his brother can not, apparently, read. UNDER REVISION!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, was not planning on writing an Inuyasha fic until I was finished my Yu Yu Hakusho fics, but I just couldn't help myself- music does that, I suppose. ("Mordreds Lullaby" plays a huge role in inspiring parts of this fic, as does "War between Brothers"; oh, and the lovely song "No roads left" by Linkin Park, in case anyone was wondering- no, this is NOT a songfic, but I guess you could say it was inspired by music?)**

 **Okay, back to business. I apologize ahead of time for spelling and grammar errrors (Like that one) as I am working off a program that has no autocorrect and no spellcheck. Nada. Not even for capitalization. (So much shift-button pressing...ugh)**

 **Oh, and this will be, as are all my fics, slow, both in pace and update. I may not have much of a life, but that certainly does not seem to stop it from distracting me from these things. So sorry in advance for that as well.**

 **Now that the complimentary A/N is done, lets get down too business, shall we?**

 **YAOI and INCEST will occur- VIOLENCE, BLOOD, SEX, ANGST, and probably some amount of OOC because damnit, I suck at keeping Inuyasha in character, and suck even more at figuring out what the hell kind of character Sesshomaru is supposed to be. ( I don't think even he knows) and because Sesshomaru's mother has a vague personality that is very much up for interpretation. So there.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I make no monetary profit off this work of Fan-fiction; all rights go to Rumiko Takahashi et al. I also don't own the above mentioned songs, property of Heather Dale and the Linkin Park band, et al. I do own the plot and any OC that pop up, though.**

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 **CH I**

The crecent moon stayed stoic and smiling as shadow after shadow bounded past its obscured face, only its sardonic grin left to cast faint light on the party moving about far beneath it, engaged in some kind of distrait battle. The sounds of metal and bone clashing together in furious rythm did not stir the moons face from its twisted, smirking position in the sky- for nothing ever would.

Sounds of flesh being torn away from the bone could be heard in the quiet night air with sickening clarity to any who happened to be unfortunate enough to be of distance in which to hear it. Even more unfortunate were those too near the fight whom nearly were drown in the cascading blood of _his_ nemesis. Those like Jaken, who was currently running about frantically, trying vainly to wipe the blood staining his face from his eyes, for the bitter, metalic liquid blinded him in a most terrible way, considering he was still in danger of being an accidental casualty of this battle.

The opponent? A reconnaissance team from a rival territory, each armed with harrowing weapons of their own, which, when combined, were an increasingly fair match against Bakusaiga, much as Jaken would rather deny such humiliating facts. These enemies were certainly not ill-informed of Lord Sesshomaru's power, he thought, for they would not have used such formidable weapons -and formidable foes, _on a reconnaissance team_ \- if they did not expect his Lord's formidable abilities. This, of course, presented its own problem, for if they knew to expect this much of his strength, it meant they probably had already infiltrated the territory with spies- or, they were just being _really_ cautious. _'In either case,'_ Jaken thought, _'we are sure to have trouble from them!'_ "Get them, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken was nothing if not supportive of his Lord.

In the meantime, Sesshomaru had come to the same conclusions Jaken had, assuming they knew more about himself than they let on. No one in their right mind would send a _reconnaissance_ team with six well-armed, _very_ well-armored men into another lord's territory without either being more or less confident about their knowledge of that lord's abilities or defenses, _or_ if they were being extremely cautious, which was not unheard of with regards to potential invaders in his territory. After all, enemies prior who had foolishly underestimated him had all fallen; perhaps the other, wiser rivals of his were taking note of this fact and trying to over-prepare as a consequence. However, unbeknownst to them, thier preparations were futile, and, as a point of fact, would be the undoing of many of their men.

And so it was with a mighty strike of Bakusaiga that the six fell in one sweep- Sesshomaru had been holding back, trying not to waste his swords most valuable technique, but, much as it pained him to admit it, he had no choice. _'These adversaries...to be as strong as they are, this lord of theirs must be either very cautious or very wise...in either case, this event does not spell great things for my domain...'_ and it was with that thought that Sesshomaru, for the first time in a long time, let himself feel...anxious. But the feeling did not last long before resignful indignation filled its place, before pride finally won him over, and he stepped confidently from the battlefield, having not-so-confidently convinced himself that this was but one incident. He would wait untill his adversaries second attempt, for adversaries like this never struck just once, in his experience, even if they were wiser to do so, to inform Mother. What she didn't know, she could not ridicule him for. So there was that.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru's timbre voice rang among the eerie silence of the night, which had blanketed the carnage he'd wreaked like a deadly omen to all that dared to breathe. Nothing, not even the crickets, dared to utter a sound in the presence of such a destructive foe. It was a shame, almost, that his enemies had not been so wise. _'On the contrary-'_ a small voice proclaimed from the corner of his mind that clung to rational thought. He, however, would brood upon the matter later. For now, he needed water; though the battle was not nearly exhausting enough to stir his thirst, he was, unfortunately, bound the way most flesh-eating beings were to the liquid. It was a necessary evil, but one he knew he would enjoy much more once he actually got to some.

He thankfully found a suitable stream from which to soothe the dry ache forming in his throat, and graciously cupped at the water with his hands to bring it to his lips. Letting the cool, clean water cleanse his throat, he decided he may as well use it to cleanse his hands, though they were not the least bit stained from the battle, despite the scuffs and dirt elsewhere on his person. _'Yet bleed I do not,'_ Sesshomaru huffed at the ridiculous notion of those petty demons drawing but a single drop of his blood. _'as if they stood a chance against my Bakusaiga. Perhaps they were not as well-informed as I thought- or perhaps it is I who is misinformed, about the sheer power of my own blade no less. I wonder if there truly is an armor this blade cannot pierce...'_ Such his musings went as he turned his face to face that of the crecent moon smiling sarcastically above. How ironic that he should bear its mocking face as a mark upon his forehead. _'all the more to mock my adversaries.'_ He thought proudly, choosing to ignore the feeling of contempt clawing at his throat from deep within his chest. It was his mother who gave him this mark. He should be proud to wear it- yet...

 _'enough of this.'_ He stood from the edge of the stream, walking along its edge distractedly. His mind was struggling to form thoughts as he wandered suddenly, with no real aim or destination, along the banks of the stream. Jaken was most curious about his lords behavior, but wisely chose not to make verbal note of it. If his Lord wished to have the peace he sometimes sought in his own mind, then so be it.

Sesshomaru looked down into the gentle, flowing water, noticing the moons pale light reflected off the surface in odd patterns which, for the time, seemed to mesmerise the lord. He felt his mind fog for a few moments, silent at last, and merely watched the sparkling water shimmer as it went along its way. A sudden thought pierced the fog that had been clouding his mind so respitefully, and he could not help but wonder curiously to where the water rushed, undetered by stones, hills, valleys, nor even dams. _'from where does its ambition stem, I wonder?'_

"My Lord? Are you alright?" Jaken asked from somewhere behind him in a small, timid voice. Sometimes, it was good to have something predictable beside you.

"I am uninjured, Jaken." was all the reply he thought suitable to give. He stood then, noticing a most grievious scent on the wind. _'I am in no mood to deal with my half-sibling tonight.'_ he thought, turning away from the stream and back towards the shadowy forest. He did not wait on his vassal, nor would he be expected to, and went forth from that place, alowing the mental fog to lift and his less than pleasing thoughts to return. After all, he had a counter-move to plan.

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What Sesshomaru had not known was that he and Jaken were not the only ones to witness the battle.

 _'oh, this can't be good. If Lord Sesshomaru loses his land...He'll be stripped of his title, of his rank, his_ _ **home**_ _, even! And as much as it pains me to say it, I do not believe that he would be able to live with such shame...Oh, Sesshomaru, please! Don't do something regrettable...'_ Myoga pondered. _'I will go visit Inuyasha. Perhaps he will distract me from these kinds of terrible thoughts with that tasty blood of his...'_ the flea thought as he noticed the half-breed's aura and scent. Bounding off to find his meal, he found that the hanyou had been closer than he'd thought. Taking his priorities in order, he first latched onto that oh-so-sweet smelling neck of his. This, of course, roused the hanyou's attention. Cue the _smack!_ And general introductory questions.

"What're you doing here, Myoga?" The hanyou spat gruffly, as always.

"What, I can't visit from time to time?" Myoga replied after his quick recovery from being flattened. "Rather, Inuyasha, I should be asking what you and the monk are doing all the way out here?"

"We noticed some intense auras over yonder," the accompanying monk spoke, "And then Inuyasha said he caught Sesshomaru's scent. We were going to investigate." Myoga swallowed the lump of anxiety forming above his gut. _'so they noticed the battle too. That may not be such a good thing.'_ "Oh?" Myoga tried, and failed, if the look of accusation on Inuyasha's face was anything to go by, to conceal his nerves. A confrontation with Sesshomaru as he was now would be disastrous. "You know something, don't'ya, Myoga-Jiji?" Inuyasha caught the flea firmly between his claws, preventing him from escaping- in multiple senses. "W-why would little ol' me know anything about Sesshomaru-sama's whereabouts?" Seeing he'd just signed his death warrant with his unfortunate inability to lie, Myoga caved. "Alright! Alright!" Myoga cried. "But whatever you do, do not confront Sesshomaru tonight! He is in a most foul mood," Myoga warned. "What happened, flea?" Inuyasha loomed over him threateningly, a tactic that always worked, considering how cowardly the tiny youkai was. Myoga sighed.

"He was in a battle."

"Well, no duh. We kind of sorted that out for ourselves, but with who?"

"Inuyasha, I don't think it's such a good idea you get involved-" Myoga tried to warn, fearing where this might be going. His words, however, went wholly unheeded. "Who, Myoga?! If they can threaten Sesshomaru, they most certainly can threaten me and Kagome!" Myoga paused his panic a moment to be proud of Inuyasha for using his head and, of course, having a good point, though Myoga doubted the hanyou was aware of precisely the point he made. "Inuyasha-sama, please, this is your brother's business. As a lord, it's his duty to fight sometimes-"

"You better explain better than that, flea, unless you want me to eat you." Feeling a shiver crawl up his spine at the threat, Myoga did what he always did in these situations.

"Well, first, Inuyasha, this really _is_ his business, so don't be cross with me if you get in trouble with him for knowing any of this. Second, I really don't think you'll understand any of it, so...Ow!"

"We'll see about that, Myoga-jiji," Inuyasha scowled menacingly at him now. "Now talk. Do we have some common enemy here or not?"

"Well...in a sense, yes, but you really shouldn't get involved. Sesshomaru-sama would view it as a HUGE insult to both his pride and his honor if you were to interfere." Myoga expained. "These are _his_ adversaries, directly targeting _him_."

"why?" Miroku asked curiously. Once more Myoga heaved a great sigh.

"Because of what he is- a daimyo," Myoga said, "Naturally, he's going to have nemesis. Rival Lords seek to steal his land, and he is fighting to defend it in battles such as the one you and I were privy to."

"keh, so these 'rivals' of his don't concern me, or us?"

"I would'nt say that, Inuyasha-sama," Myoga cautioned. "You were right in a way to say that those who threaten him also threaten you, in a way," He flinched at the heated gaze the hanyou threw at him, demanding he explain himself better. "What I mean," He rushed, "is that you still technically live on _his_ land. So, by extention, if his territory is threatened or compromised- heaven forbid that should happen! -you may actually be in danger."

"What the hell're you talking about, 'his land' ?" Inuyasha all but growled. "W-well, this," Myoga gestured all around him. "lies within your brother's domain, which is the largest one of its kind in the human world." Myoga explained. "Human world?" the monk inquired.

"Eh, maybe I'll explain that one a different day."

"So, just how big is this territory of his?" Inuyasha asked smugly.

"W-well...It's not _quite_ as large as your father's, but it spans from the northern tip of the main island, up into some...negotiable, parts of Ookami territory, down to the coastal straits dividing the main Island and the nearest ones to the south."

"What!? That's the whole damn island!"

"North-to-South, yes. However, his terriroty only extends inland a tiny bit more than halfway at its widest point- in which your village is also housed.**" Myoga watched as shock, then fury masked Inuyasha's face.

"WHY THE HELL DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS BEFORE?!" he shouted at the cringing flea.

"You never asked..." _SMACK!_ Myoga cried as he was promtly stomped into the ground.

"Well, that's...actually, that's kind of believable, considering the kind of youkai he is," Miroku mused out loud, earning a murderous glare from Inuyasha.

"Keh."

"Now, Inuyasha-sama-"

"Can-it, Myoga! I don' wanna hear another word out of you," the hanyou growled, tossing the flea carelessly away.

"Oi! Inuyasha-sama, please! Whatever you do, _do not_ confront Sesshomaru-sama tonight! I beg of you! He is no doubt quite angry right now!"

"Keh, when _isn't_ he angry?" Inuyasha mumbled as Myoga bounded to catch up to him. Naturally, the half-dog seemed to have a death wish, and was currently stalking off in the general direction Sesshomaru had gone.

"Y'know, Inuyasha, I could ask _you_ that question more than I think you could ask him."

"What the hell're you talkin' about, flea?"

"Lord Sesshomaru is certainly an angry person, but his anger is very different from yours. He is not nearly as...outward, with his anger, despite his short temper. His temper is exactly that- short-lived. He doesn't hold grudges about every little thing."

"What're you blabbering about now?"

"Don't play that card with me, Inuyasha. It won't work. Besides, aren't you ever curious about your half-brother? I mean, I'm giving away information here most nobles-among others- would literaly kill for."

"Then maybe you should just shut up."

"Now, Inuyasha," Miroku, who was actually keeping pace with them quite well, all things considered, commented. "He may have a point, but I'm personally quite curious." Miroku said, tilting his head to accentuate his words. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all." Myoga replied, jumping onto the monk's shoulder. "So, you were saying...?"

"Ah, yes. Well, Sesshomaru-sama is certainly just as- if not probably _more_ angry than Inuyasha. However, unlike our hanyou companion, he doesn't take it out on others quite as often as you might think. In fact, I'd say the majority of it stays bottled-up inside."

"That's surprising, considering the things I've seen from him."

"Yes, well I believe even he has a sense of right and wrong. He doesn't feel it's right to take it _all_ out on other people who have nothing to do with it, instead saving his rage for the battlefield, where it can be applied more...productively." Myoga glared at Inuyasha's back as he said this.

"A wise move, I think...But you said most of it _still_ winds up contained? How can one possibly live with that much anger trapped inside and still be...well, I guess I can't really call Sesshomaru-sama 'happy'..."

"Indeed not. My, I haven't seen Lord Sesshomaru anything remotely close to _happy_ in centuries!"

"You mean there was a time when that bastard _wasn't_ a prick?" Inuyasha scoffed with sarcastic indcredulousness.

"Well...yes, actually." Inuyasha slowed a moment at this, looking over his shoulder towards the flea, clearly curious, if suspicious, based on the half-cocked position of his ears. Myoga sighed. He honestly had been waiting decades to tell this story, but the thought of it still made him a bit sad.

"Well, you see, even Sesshomaru was once a child...Well, we'll call him that for now." Myoga began, "And all things considered, he was a fairly happy child, too."

"All things considered?" Miroku inquired softly.

"Ah, yes...I'm not sure if I should really be telling you this...but I've been dying to for decades, centuries even! I just don't know if it's such a great idea...What if Sesshomaru were to find out? What-"

"If you're gonna tell us, tell us, if not, then shut your trap. Sesshomaru ain't going to know shit if nobody tells him, will he?"

"Eh...I suppose not."

"'Kay then," Inuyasha sassed, folding his arms into his haori. Myoga knew it was Inuyasha's way of expressing his curiousity, but frankly he wished he'd be a little more classy.

"Well, to be frank, your brother was born at an...inopportune time. See, there was a sort of war going on between your father's clan and a rival one, who I won't name right now; this war lasted a long time, so during his earlier years, the young lord sadly didn't get to spend that much time with either of his parents. Such is why he is so stubbornly independent, you see- he was that way from a very young age, being as neither parent could devote much in the way of attention, given the chaos that was going on due to the war."

"So he had to learn to do things on his own, in his own way, from a young age," the monk filled in, "Well, that certainly explains a lot. But why would his mother be unable to give him attention? Surely even youkai would'nt send a new mother into battle? Not unless they were truly desperate."

"No, they didn't send her into battle, but..." Myoga sighed. "She was a young, brand new mother- which is why she only had one pup, so I think. " Myoga explained. "She...didn't know how to take care of Sesshomaru, I don't think, not really...Part of me, the part that resents her, thinks she may not have wanted to. See, Sesshomaru's mother is considerably more frigid; much colder, and much more ruthless. She's also quite the manipulator, so I hear, and...well, she's just not a nice person to be around. Why in the heavens your father ever mated her, I do not know. Perhaps he knew a side of her I have yet to see." Myoga said distantly. Snapping back to reality with a shake of his head, he continued. "Point being, she seemed to deliberately ignore him. Whether it was because she just didn't understand how to tend to his desires for love and affection, or because she deliberately chose not to, I don't know."

"I see." said the monk. "It sounds like he inherited a lot of her behaviors, just in smaller scale. But then, being raised by someone like that...I almost feel bad for him."

"Well, as I said, he was remarkably happy for a child in his position. Despite everything, he remained optimistic, always looking for the good in- well, everything. Even his frigid mother."

"Ha. Sesshomaru, _optimistic?_ " Inuyasha scoffed.

"Yes, Inuyasha-sama. He was quite good at finding the, as you might call it, 'silver lining' in tense or gloomy situations. Not so much unlike your father, actually. In fact, after things simmered down a bit, the two began to spend a lot of time together." Myoga had a distant tone again, and quickly corrected it once more with a shake of his head. "But I really should'nt say anything more. The subject of your father is a really sore one for your brother- and on the off chance he hears about any of this, he'll have all our heads!"

"Wait, wait, you can't just cut off a story like that! It's not fair!"

"Please Inuyasha-sama-"

"If it's 'cause you're worried about him finding out, don't. He wont hear a thing from me, okay?" Myoga took a moment to be surprised by Inuyasha's initiative about this. Seems he was genuinely curious about his brother after all. Myoga sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "If your'e sure you can keep a secret..." he paused for a moment in thought. "Well, Sesshomaru grew closer to your father over a period of time, especially during training. Your father was more than just an obstacle to surpass; he was a comrade, a packmate, and...well, he was family, and so far the only person I've ever seen Sesshomaru treat as such. They were close..."

"But?" the monk offered.

"...But, that changed, as it usually does, when Sesshomaru reached adolescence. He became rebellious, as to be expected- only...well, your brother was never one to be labeled a coward, and he certainly held nothing back when it came to finding trouble." Another sigh. "Let's just say there were some cases when he bit off more than he could chew- but that was pretty normal. And, normally, they'd forgive each other after a period of time. But, that didn't always happen very quickly...Well, I'm getting ahead of myself," Myoga coughed, "Sesshomaru became borderline-obsessed with his own strength at this time- he'd always been a very ambitious boy, but his teenage years brought it out even more. Naturally, your father became a bigger threat, and as all adolescents do, he challanged him, several times- he always failed, of course. But that didn't stop him from trying..." Myoga paused a moment. "Well, long story short, he did something that...crossed a few too many boundaries. They were bitter with eachother, and then bittersweet, which was worse in a way...and stayed that way until your father died. Of course, thier motives changed, since it wasn't too long after this rebellion incident that Inu-no-Taisho met your mother, Izayoi, giving Sesshomaru a whole other reason to be both bitter and jealous."

"Jealous?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat awed.

"Yes. Even if he viewed your fathers tryst as a betrayal, he still loved him as his father. And more than anything, he wanted your father's attention, which was once again always someplace else. He went to some pretty desperate means- well, not _that_ desperate, considering what landed him in that kind of position in the first place- to get your father's attention."

"Like what?"

"Hm...Well, funny you should say that. He actually tried to get to know Izayoi- at least, I'd like to think he did. He did spend some time with her, but...well, your father was not very appreciative of that, and soon drove him away from her for good."

"Wait, Sesshomaru knew my mother?" the thought had never really occured to the hanyou.

"Mm-Hm. Not very well, or for very long, but they knew each other by name and face, which was plenty enough for both of them it seemed. Of course, Izayoi-hime wanted to know Sesshomaru better, but...well, I think you can guess how well her attempts at getting closer to him worked. He never did deliberately harm her though, which is quite surprising to me, considering how much he claimed to hate her. I think he was afraid of the consequences of such an action, but I'd also like to think he didn't harm her because, in a way, her attempts worked." Myoga rambled, "Though I know that's more likely fantasy than reality." There was a sudden silence that befell them, and Myoga got the impression he'd said too much. So the silence went on, and on, until Myoga noticed they had changed course.

"Where exactly are we going, Inuyasha-sama?"

"Keh, I've lost my interest in messin' with that prick. You said yourself he's in a bad mood. Besides, we've been out most the night, and I'm sure Sango is wondering where we went."

"Kagome too," Miroku quipped just a little too fast. Myoga suddenly got the impression something was going on with Kagome and Inuyasha again. But it wasn't his business. "Well, much as I'd love to stay and chat some more, I think I'll be going now," Myoga chirpped, "After all, it's not like _you're_ all that willing to let me drink from you," Myoga huffed at Inuyasha. "Just...promise me you won't bother Sesshomaru for a while?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just go." Inuyasha said, never once turning his head to look at the flea, though his ears swivelled back to hear him. Feeling maybe telling Inuyasha all that information had really been a bad move, Myoga quickly jumped away, exiting the rather gloomy aura that had begun seeping from the hanyou in question.

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 **Cliff hanger!**

 **Okay, so I may not be able to update for a few weeks, so I combined chapters here... will probably have to do that again; sorry in advance for any resulting awkwardness!**

 **Oh, and as usual,** _ **YOU DON'T REVIEW/PM, I DON'T POST!**_ reviews let me know that my story is being read and understood by the public- that said, constructive criticism is always welcome. Flames will be fed to Natsu or possibly used to light my firepit... mmm, roasted fish sounds good...


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chappie! updated ASAP! Woo! (eh...)**

 **to explain a few things so this chapter makes sense for those who dont know squat about japanese history:**

 **A Daimyo works under a Shogun, who controls a territory; Myoga was confused about that last chapter, and accidentally told Inuyasha the SHOGUN territory, not Sesshomaru's. His actual "jurisdiction" is much smaller. (clarified later) Think of a Shogun like a state representative (for those who live in the US) and a daimyo like a county mayor. The Shogun calls most the shots and makes most the providential laws, which his underlings, the Daimyo, must follow, however, the Daimyo can also make up his own rules within his territory as long as they don't interfere too much with those of his ruling lord. (and the ruling lord can not alter or defy national law with his own laws either, generally speaking)**

 **A Daimyo's duties are based on two things; war and peace. (explained in more detail later)The Daimyo's (there can be multiple in one Shogun territory) have variable control of the Samurai, who as we all know are the soldiers. If war is breaking out, it's the Daimyo's job to make sure his or his Shogun's army are in place. Hence why they are known in english as "warlords".**

 **Also, it was traditional in that era for women to read and write one way, (harigana) and men to write another (kanji) seeing as the two never generally meddled with the other's affairs of that nature.**

 **Hope that helps, and good luck!**

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 _ **Last time:**_ _"Well, much as I'd love to stay and chat some more, I think I'll be going now," Myoga chirpped, "After all, it's not like you're all that willing to let me drink from you," Myoga huffed at Inuyasha. "Just...promise me you won't bother Sesshomaru for a while?"_

 _"Yeah, yeah. Just go." Inuyasha said, never once turning his head to look at the flea, though his ears swivelled back to hear him. Feeling maybe telling Inuyasha all that information had really been a bad move, Myoga quickly jumped away, exiting the rather gloomy aura that had begun seeping from the hanyou in question._

 **CH II**

"What's wrong?"

"keh. Nothin's wrong..."

"You've been huffing more that usual, and you look like you want to say something, but don't..."

"And you're reading way too far into things."

"Inuyasha..."

"Just...leave me alone." Inuyasha said without conviction, getting up and walking out the hut. These half-lived, mostly one-sided conversations were nothing new to Kagome- but still, she had to try.

"Wonder what's up with 'im?" Shippo piped up. All eyes turned to Miroku, who sat quietly minding his cup of tea.

"You not telling us something?" Sango was the one to interrogate her husband.

"Well..."

"Miroku-"

"W-well," he stuttered, hearing the growl in her voice "like I said, we didn't actually catch up to Sesshomaru, but that was because of some...interference."

"From who?"

"Myoga, actually. He convinced Inuyasha to leave his half-sibling alone, and that was that..."

"...you're hiding something, monk," Sango accused, an aggressive finger threatening to jab him. Oh how he wished se hadn't known him so well.

"Eh...well, actually, I am, but that's because Myoga told me not to tell anyone what he said..." Miroku sighed. "But...well, I think our friend is a bit distraught because of it."

"What'ya mean?" Shippo inquired

"...Let's just say he learned a thing or two about Sesshomaru he didn't know before, and I think it might've changed his perspective a little..."

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Inuyasha had ultimately returned from his brisk walk around the woods after dark, and his mood had not improved very much if his crossed arms were any indication. Miroku was the only one left awake by that time, but did not question his friend. In fact, he almost never questioned anything Inuyasha did, merely watching with a sort of sagely understanding. Then again, he _was_ a monk...

"Did everyone else go to bed?" the Hanyou asked.

"Yes, though Kagome tried to wait for you- eventually she was convinced by yours- truly to go to bed, considering how tired she has been. Which reminds me," Inuyasha did not fail to notice the inquisition in his tone and nearly dreaded the coming question. " Are you and miss Kagome still...at odds?" Miroku asked, confusion touching his tone like a faint whisp of smoke. Inuyasha was grateful the monk didn't ask questions, but at the same time a small part of him sort of wished he would...

"I...don't actually know." Inuyasha replied. "We aren't really fighting, exactly, we just... I don't know, something lost it's edge, I guess." he murmured the last part.

"Lost it's edge?"

"It's hard to explain...we just...oh hell, I don't know anymore." At the tone of desperate frustration leering into his friend's voice the monk decided it was not worth pressing the issue. If Inuyasha wanted to talk, he would; that's just the kind of person he was.

"Well, you know if you ever need someone to talk to-"

"I know. Thanks, Miroku."

"No problem."

Inuyasha went to bed shortly thereafter, exhausted from his walk- not because he was physically tired, but because of all the thoughts that had been rattling his brain for the last few hours. _'Why is this bugging me so much? It's not like I should care...but,'_ Inuyasha thought _'...As much as I don't want to admit it, maybe me and Sesshomaru have more in common than I thought...'_ He walked over to the place he'd been sharing with Kagome for some five years now, stepping inside quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping wife. He laid down next to, but away from Kagome. They may not have been fighting, but there had been a growing space between them lately, and one Inuyasha was guilty to indulge in. Rolling over and trying to 'shut off' his brain, he eventually fell into a light sleep- but as was usual lately, his peace at rest did not last.

A bittersweet dream had been plagueing him- bitter because it was driving him absolutely insane, bordering on delusionally paranoid sometimes, and sweet because...well...

 _"ha, ha, ha," heavy panting sounded through an emty room,_ -it was always the same room-

 _A groan echoed faintly off the walls, spurring the form hovering above him to move._ -it was always the same shadow- _The movements were readily identifyable, and so was his own voice making all the noise._

 _"Please..." He pleaded desperately, grasping at the shadow above him, grinding his hips sharply upwards. The resulting contact was remarkably lucid, as if he were actually touching something..._

 _"Ah.." he heard himself moan as the figure ground back, creating much desired friction against his nether regions. As if that wasn't enough, said figure held his hips in a death grip as it continuously ground against him, an action he found much to his liking._

 _Hands stroked and touched, feeling him up and down- and, like always, there was a point where he got too handsy. The figure, whatever it was, flipped him onto his belly, mounting him from behind. The action was so familiar to him now that he was aroused long before he got to that point, but he couldn't help but moan obscenely when said figure went down on him, grinding into his pelvis. When he put up some kind of resistance, he'd guessed, the figure roughly gripped his wrists and pinned them above his head; the figure then stroked his backside in a remarkably gentle manner, before pressing again on his pelvis. He resisted the urge to moan, but couldn't stop himself when he felt the figure wrap and lock its arms around his waist, coveirng him from behind before thrusting roughly against him._

 _"Ahh...hah..." He moaned, mouth gaping._

 _"Oh!" he cried as the figure began thrusting roughly and quickly against him, enticing him to grind backwards against it..._

Inuyasha always woke up cumming. The event was always awkward and embarrassing, though Kagome stopped asking questions after the third time he'd stubbornly denied her the answers she wanted. Letting the high ride over him, he laid there for a while, ignoring the sticky mess he'd made of himself for a moment in favour of waking up completely.

 _'stupid dream...what the hell's all that even supposed to mean?'_ He thought. But then, he supposed, if he knew the answer, he wouldn't be not-fighting with the woman who was supposed to be his wife.

Inuyasha sighed, getting up to clean himself off. He'd been wondering and even borderline obsessing over that stupid dream for the last three weeks he'd been having it- but nothing made sense, no matter how many different ways he turned it around in his head. He'd even contemplated the idea that he was queer, but was extremely hesitant to try anything of that nature- not like he really had anyone to try it with except Miroku, and Inuyasha had a feeling the monk would not be appreciative of his hanyou-friends proposed 'experimentation'. Still...if he didn't find out something about it, he was going to go insane!

"Hmf." Inuyasha wetted a cloth, sticking it straight down his hakama rather than taking them off. It was cold, which didn't exactly feel nice, but it did help tame his somewhat obvious erection, making it shrink back faster. As Inuyasha walked out of his cozy home into the chill morning air, he immediately picked up on a smell he wasn't too thrilled about.

A chorus of howls echoed in the distance, alerting everyone to the presence of _his_ pack. And, soon enough, rushing in as always, Koga stood before the villagers, who seemed unsure of wherther to call the wolf friend or foe. "Hey, Muttface! Like what 'ya done with the place," Koga nodded approvingly as he looked around. "What's it been, three years since our last encounter?" Inuyasha asked, failing to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Well, no matter, because I can _still_ kick your ass, _fleabag,_ " Inuyasha growled; but it wasn't really hostile, more like...playful.

"Hah! I'd like to see you try, dog," Koga mocked, going along. But then a serious expression crossed his face, piquing Inuyasha's focus. "But, maybe another day. See, I'm here on business."

"Business?"

"Yeah. You'd never guess who called me way the hell out here," Koga teased. Seeing he was being a playful jerk again, Inuyasha rolled his eyes- but immediately snapped them back at Koga when he heard his brother's name.

"Wait, Sesshomaru called you here? Why?"

"Dunno. Haven't found him yet," Koga explained with a shrug. "Bastard never holds still. He told us to meet at the bend in the river north of here, but when we got there...well, he wasn't there. Cue the search party going on through your forest," Koga motioned towards the woods. "We've been looking all damn afternoon. It's like he's up and vanished."

"Perhaps he had business to attend to," Miroku, who had converged with most the rest of the group around Koga, spoke up. "Word is he's very busy right now." At that, he and Inuyasha exchanged glances, though they were both quick to hide it.

"So I've heard. Guess theres some bastard that's been harrassing the hell out of him too, so I hear," Koga gossipped like a diva when given the chance. "Some old rival of his or something, just a real creepy guy. Couple of my wolves spotted the creeper tailing him one day on parole- not really sure just yet why he was so close to our border, but I'd guess it had to do with the wierdo following him."

"Sesshomaru is being followed?" Miroku repeated for what seemed like his own clarification.

"You think that has somethin' to do with him calling you here?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Honesly, no. Sesshomaru's too damn pompous and proud to ask wolves like us for help like that," the bitter sarcasm in his voice did plenty to portray his opinion of the Daimyo. "But it does make me wonder why he wanted us here..." Koga turned his head suddenly, scanning with nose, ears and eyes over the rice fields to the south of the village. "Well, speak of the devil..."

Sesshomaru came upon the village where his brother lived, having found the wolf he'd reluctantly called upon his mother's behest. Why couldn't _she_ deal with affairs like this?

"Well, hello, Sesshomaru-sama," Miroku greeted with a low-ish bow, polite as always.

"Hn." and a nod was all the monk got as a reply.

"Yes, hello," Kagome appeared behind Inuyasha, waving slightly to him. He fought the rising agitation at the prospect of having to deal with Koga's pack _and_ Inuyasha's on the same day.

"Koga- rather, _prince_ Koga," Sesshomaru strongly resisted spitting at the wolf as he addressed him. "My busi-"

"Sesshomaru-sama!" A very excited squeal sounded from the other side of the village, and as Sesshomaru turned to face the girl who was, as per usual, bursting with enthusiasm, he failed to realise, somehow, that she was much closer than she seemed, and ran- literally- straight into her. She was completely unfazed though, and in an uncharacteristic display of affection, as Sesshomaru came to know it, she wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. Feeling his mood lift for the moment, Sesshomaru stroked her back once after she clung to him for several moments. Still, she did not stir, and it took Sesshomaru longer than it should have for him to realise that she was closer to Koga than he had ever seen her, only about two meters, and that she was likely afraid to move, though he didnt sense much fear coming from her. Upon closer analysis, she was indeed nervous, but not remotely scared.

"Rin," Sesshomaru called her name after a few moments longer. She pulled back hesitantly to look up at him- when did she get so tall?

"Yes, Milord?" Sesshomaru felt something quiver in his chest at the title.

"As much as I regret to inform you of it, I'm afraid you must release me."

"Oh," she said, a blush- a mark of embarrassment, Sesshomaru had come to learn from her- instantly adorning her cheeks. "S-sorry, milord."

"Oookay," Koga drawled suspiciously, "Hey, I just want to get this done with," he defended when Sesshomaru threw him a nasty look. "Not even sure why I'm here, but- duty calls," the wolf huffed.

"Hn. Indeed it does," the Daimyo replied, returning to his sour mood. "And you are here because Mother beckoned you."

"Eh?" Koga prompted dumbly "Y' mean, _you_ weren't the one who called me out here?"

"I did, but at my mother's behest." Sesshomaru clarified, pulling something from his robes. He handed Koga a scroll dressed in a bronze encasement ornamented with pink and red petals on the ends. It was forged with intricate, weaving patterns over the remainder of it. "Do not open it here," Sesshomaru warned. "The information contained within that scroll is for the eyes of your councilmen only," he stated in such a way that made it clear there was no contending him. "Understood?"

"Yeah, but..." Koga looked down at the scroll, a mixture of frustration and confusion playing tag on his face. "What's all this about?"

Sesshomaru looked over to an unusually quiet Inuyasha, who merely stood there watching thier exchange with obvious curiousity- then again, most his pack surrounding them also seemed quite curious- not that he could blame them.

"I would prefer we discuss this more in private," Sesshomaru said, eyeing Inuyasha again, "However, I can tell you here that the business you are being asked to do is not without its losses."

"Losses? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your men may die performing the actions my mother has requested of you- bear in mind two things before you reply," Sesshomaru said quickly as he abruptly turned away from the group, "First, _I_ am not responsible for any of this affair- I am merely a messenger, if you will," Sesshomaru said with a surprising lack of distaste, "And second, that your choices are purely your own. However, this is an era of war in the human world," Sesshomaru looked back at the wolf over his shoulder as the said this. "And there is much more at stake here than just ourselves." He glanced briefly at Rin, his eye skimming over Inuyasha as he went. Finally turning away, he bagan walking. "Rin." He called back. "I will return again in two weeks time." And off he was-

until Inuyasha opened his mouth.

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 **Yay! Another cliffie! I think I'm starting to get good at this.**

 **Now , to clarify, I am working with Sesshomaru on the basis that he IS NOT HUMAN, and so am resorting to my intense knowledge of canine behavior to flesh him out. (and make sense of some of his personality traits) That said, things like** _ **hugging, blushing,**_ **and in a way kissing don't have quite the same meaning to a dog as they do to humans. (So we think...) However, being in Human form has to mean SOMETHING...oh, well you'll know later.**

 **Anyway,** _ **REVIEW or PM**_ **for more! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know, I know, I should be finishing my Yu Yu Hakusho fics, but DAMN, I was not expecting so much demand for this story. More people are following this than any fic I've ever posted. That said, THANK YOU to my reviwers and followers- your interest is appreciated!**

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 **CH III**

 _ **Last Time:**_ ... _Sesshomaru looked back at the wolf over his shoulder as the said this. "And there is much more at stake here than just ourselves." He glanced briefly at Rin, his eye skimming over Inuyasha as he went. Finally turning away, he bagan walking. "Rin." He called back. "I will return again in two weeks time." And off he was-_

 _until Inuyasha opened his mouth._

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"Hey, wait just a minute!" Inuyasha, silent up until then, blurted out. Sesshomaru halted his movement, agitation causing an abrupt tension to spread through his body, framing him squarely and almost sharply. "First things first, what the hell is going on here?! And second, what does that mean, 'more at stake here than just ourselves-HEY!" Sesshomaru had begun walking again, stiff with growing ire at being interrogated. "HEY! Come back here and answer me damnit! DO NOT make me chase your ass!" And with that, Sesshomaru did exactly as told.

Okay, well, not _exactly._

He did come back though- fast enough to blindside his half sibling with a sharp knee to the gut. A satisfying gagging ensued immediately afterward, but was quickly cut off by a strong, clawed hand wrapping itself around the Hanyou's throat, hard enough to hold him still, but not _quite_ hard enough to restrict is breathing, though he still gagged as if being choked. Mindful of his onlookers, Sesshomaru's energy flared high and bright, warning everyone present to mind his space and _stay out of his way_.

"Now, _outouto,_ " Sesshomaru spoke, moving his lips closer to the Hanyou's ear. "You should learn to mind your place- but that's unlikely to happen anytime soon," Sesshomaru's voice was low, but frigid "However, at the very least, you should _mind your own damn business,_ " Sesshomaru's voice stayed at the volume of a whisper, but his tone steadily dropped, untill he was nearly growling/hissing in the Hanyou's ear. The wind, blowing away from Sesshomaru, brought his hair forward, the long strands almost encompassing the hanyou, who was desperately clawing at his brother's wrist, even going so far as to try and wriggle loose enough to bite the bastard. The two stayed in a kind of deadlock like that for several moments, Sesshomaru making direct eye contact with his Hanyou sibling, daring him to fight harder. Struggle more. Bite him, if he would. That would be the figurative honey* on top of his day.

"Please-"

"Oi-"

"Sesshomaru-sama!-"

The crowd's pleas fell on deaf ears- the world right now consisted only of he and his recalcitrant sibling. Nothing else existed for a moment as the world seemed to fade out. He kept his gaze steady, unwavering, looking deep into the half-breeds eyes, which so resembled thier fathers. And like thier father, he could see the determination, the fire, the fight in his gaze- but he also seen darker things, things that Sesshomaru wouldn't admit to having, perhaps, caused; he seen a glimpse of the sadness, the insecurity hidden deep inside. He ignored the look of lust brimming the edges of his irises**, for it mattered not at the time. He did not, however, ignore the sudden shift in his siblings eyes, from fire and passion to a more mellow, cool spring of...well, Sesshomaru wasn't really sure. Understanding, maybe?

Caught off guard by the sudden expression, his grip on Inuyasha's throat loosened, which was far from unnoticed by said hanyou. Taking his golden opportunity, he jumped away, hand on the hilt of Tessaiga reflexively, though much of his desire to fight had been mysteriously sapped from him. The crowd stood silent around them, and Sesshoamru's aura retracted. Confused by what just happened, the Daiyoukai stood still a while longer, his mind wandering a bit in search of answers- but he quickly found them lost in a foggy soup of discarded thoughts, things he cared not to sort through or dwell upon, but which still stubbornly stuck to his memory in the form of a cloying mist that never quite went away.

"Well. That's certainly an...intersting, confrontation, don't'ya think, boys?"

A sudden voice came from above them- and there,just as suddenly, floating in the air, was a most unusual looking apparition. She was tiny, barely the size of a ten year old kid, and looked just as young. Her skin was the color of dark ash, her hair, kept unusually short, was like starlight. She wore a dark saphire Kimono with a yellow Obi and maroon sash, which was tied at her side. Her legs were more animal than human, and kept a retractable, sicle-shaped six-inch claw on each inner toe. Her tail hung, swishing idly, between her legs as a pair of ash- colored, bat-like wings kept her steadily aloft, along with the aid of levitation. The tip of her tail had a tuft of fur, or hair, that was sky blue- as were her eyes, accentuated by black scleras.

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of her, as did everyone else who, like him, didn't even know she was there. "Who the hell- and _what_ the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked aggressively, but he got no immediate response besides a gently wagging finger in his direction, from which he noticed she had long, black claws. "Now, that's no way to ask a question, is it?" Her voice was high and almost sweet sounding, but the Hanyou knew better. Sudden movement from his periphery confirmed that Sesshomaru had noticed her, and turned to face her- though he didn't seem as surprised as everyone else, despite not giving any indication of having known she was there while thier eyes had been locked.

"You," Sesshomaru stated, flat and cold. "Why have you come here?"

"Why else?" She laughed, a tinkling kind of sound. "I came for you." All eyes shifted between the two. "You know this...unusual, Youkai?" Sango piped up from behind Miroku.

"Call me what you will; my business has nothing to do with you," She piped off. "Rather, it is with _you,_ " she pointed at Inuyasha.

" _Me?_ "

"You," She clarified, pulling something from her Kimono. It was another scroll. "This is for you, from my master. He told me to give it directly to you, and no one else."

"And who exactly is this 'master' of yours?"

"Actually, he said not to give away his name, but you can know mine," She said cheerily. "Name's Axce. I work as a...secretary, of kinds. So, like your big bro here, I'm just a messenger." She said. "Oh, and you might want to move your hand off your sword," She commented "Killing me will not lead to good things for you or your friends. My master quite likes me intact."

Inuyasha reluctantly withdrew his hand from his sword, watching the bizarre youkai descend to hand him the scroll. It was a small, bare scroll, hardly large enough to write more than a few sentances on.

"It's a military scroll," Sesshomaru commented, eyeing it suspiciously. "Meant to relay location information and the like." He looked back up to Axce. "Just what are you playing at?" he said accusingly.

"Don't ask me- if you want to know, go see my master- you'll know where he is." She said, giggling as her body seemed to fade away into a cloud of smoke before she dissappeared entirely. Inuyasha looked down at the scroll he'd been given, suspicious already of its potential to be booby-trapped. _'Why the hell would that...freak, give me a '_ military scroll' _?'_ Inuyasha wondered.

"Well?" It was Sesshomaru who prompted. "What's in it?"

"Keh, why the hell're you so curious to know? As I recall, prick, its _none of your business,_ now is it?" Inuyasha spat with a tad more venom than he'd intended- though the frown of knowing frustration on his brother's face was well worth it. Looking back to the scroll, he figured it was now or never.

He unrolled the tiny scroll very carefully, wary as always- only to find...

"What the _hell?"_

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 **Well. Wasn't that eventful?**

 **asterisks: *honey:** Sugar was fairly uncommon in that time era, even with reasonable trade relations. Cherries were rarely used for anything except to eat raw, and even then, native Japanese cherries are not all that sweet. Honey was a common topping or additive for tea. (I also like to think Sesshomaru has a secret sweet tooth)

 ****arousal/irises:** Heres the one y'all want the answer to. Okay, well first, you got to understand that Sesshomaru is a dog- and a male dog at that. Inuyasha, for all intents and puroses is, in this scene and in Sesshomaru's mind, a male dog. And if you've ever owned a male dog, you know that when they get fiesty or excited, sometimes they get excited in...other ways, too. In this case, Sesshomaru believes Inuyasha's arousal is because of his adrenaline and testosterone (not really that specifically, but still) rearing up in response to the fight- but we'll see what Inuyasha was really thinking...

 **About "Axce":** I'll bet most of you want to pronounce it "Ace" or "Axe" but it's actually a play on spelling; its pronounced "ASH" like the color of her skin. She was literally named after her color. :) Its spelled oddly because my brain really likes confusing people in english with the letter "X" because realistically, you don't use it in your every day speech that much. That and, as you will see, she is somewhat...exotic. Don't worry, she doesnt stick around long and her name doesn't come up much, so you won'y have to scramble your brain trying to read it long. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovelies.**

 **I am updating much faster than I expected, considering I have a job, volnteer work, and college to get ready for...well, okay, so "fast" might be an overstatement, but forgive a gal for trying. Any who, you don't care for that stuff.**

 **What you do care for is where this twisted plot bunny is running away to- I'll give you a clue; there's not just one rabbit. Hehehehe...**

 **I feel like there should be a warning here about OCs, especially those that don't quite fit into Inuyasha's time era (for now we'll call that circa-1496) with good reason of course...**

 **Onward!**

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 _ **Last time: '**_ Why the hell would that...freak, give me a _'military scroll'?' Inuyasha wondered._

 _"Well?" It was Sesshomaru who prompted. "What's in it?"_

 _"Keh, why the hell're you so curious to know? As I recall, prick, its_ none of your business _, now is it?" Inuyasha spat with a tad more venom than he'd intended- though the frown of knowing frustration on his brother's face was well worth it. Looking back to the scroll, he figured it was now or never._

 _He unrolled the tiny scroll very carefully, wary as always- only to find..._

 _"What the hell?"_

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The contents of the scroll were quite unexpectedly handed to Sesshomaru after a long moment of analysis by the hanyou. Quirking a curious brow in his brother's direction, Sesshomaru turned to the scroll now in his hands- and promptly frowned.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Inuyasha commented at the look of annoyance on Sesshomaru's face.

"Why? What's wrong?" Miroku chimed.

"It's written...wierdly." Inuyasha suggested. "It's-"

"It's written in code," Sesshomaru said dully. "Code that he should know you are unable to read. You lack the training."

"Keh. So, what, she made a mistake and handed me the wrong scroll?"

 _'On the contrary,'_ Sesshomaru thought. _'If I'm correct about these instructions, she handed you precisely the scroll her pesty master wanted you- and by extension me- to have. But why write it in code?'_ It didn't take him long to come up with an answer. _'Because Inuyasha has attrocious listening skills, and would no doubt ignore the request in here which is directed at him...however, there is a directive present for myself as well - but still...why write it in a language he does not understand, which he must surely KNOW he does not understand, if he did not wish him to investigate the contents?'_

"Perhaps," The daiyoukai offered after a moment. "The content is a request for _my_ presence, not yours."

"What?! So what the hell was all that about then?" Inuyasha looked frustrated, and sounded like it too- not that Sesshomaru could really blame him. "I am unsure of that myself, though it would appear that the only way to find answers is to find he who summoned me- not that he needed do so. " Sesshomaru commented offhandedly, already making his leave. "I had full intentions of finding him myself, if only that I could strip him of his hide. Preferably alive." And with that, Sesshomaru dissappeared once more, taking to the air. Left slightly baffled, Inuyasha just...stared.

 _'the fuck-'_

"Inuyasha?" It was Kagome. She sounded concerned. Oh how he wished she didn't make that face at him, not now.

"I'm fine. Just confused." Inuyasha had to resist a flinch at the double entendre. "Look, I'm gonna...go rest a while." Inuyasha said, inching his way toward the treeline. "Are you sure you're okay? You're not sick or something?" The concern in her voice was endearing, but it also made his stomach flutter as if alive with worms. _'This feels like Kikyo all over-'_ He stopped that thought before it could progress. "I'm fine, okay? I just...need a little room right now, okay?" His voice betrayed how hard it was to say those words- again. "Okay." She sighed, clearly sad, but made no effort to stop him.

He wasn't sure what hurt worse.

Dashing away before the wise and knowing Miroku tried to stop him, he halted beneath an old birch tree overlooking a clearing. The clearing was rife with autumn leaves, decorated here or there by the testy autumn blooms, clinging desparately to the warmth of the sun before winter froze them to thier graves. Grass made a dazzling splash of green against the orange and yellow hues of the season, having no fear of the bone-chilling cold to come, except that it might be snowed upon and smothered.

Sitting up on his perch, Inuyasha let his mind wander. He'd been doing that a lot lately, but now he had his little spat with Sesshomaru to think about. The very thought of thinking about it made him want to turn himself inside out like a dirty rag and shake or rinse away everything that had happened inside his head at that time.

 _Inuyasha struggled slightly to breathe with his brother's palm against his throat. Sesshomaru then had brought thier faces closer, bringing his hair around Inuyasha like a cloak. That hadn't started it, though. No, it was his energy- forceful, demanding space and commanding attention- for some unknown reason, such an energy seemed...attractive, in a way. No more had the thought circulated his head than Sesshomaru's hair, his scent, was suddenly_ everywhere _in Inuyasha's personal space. In some ways, the whole display pissed him off- but another part of him was mesmerised, having forgotten, not having battled Sesshomaru much the last five years, just how powerful he was. But this power, the one he had used on Inuyasha- it was familiar, but different, somehow. Dominating, engulfing energy, coupled with equally engulfing scent, had driven him over the edge. Whilst he was visciously trying to bite Sesshomaru, he also felt a...strange, sense of elatement. Physical elatement. Then thier eyes had locked- and Sesshomaru's penetrating gaze was nearly enough to frighten him. What_ did _startle him a bit was the tiny surge of arousal that peaked through him- but there was no time to focus on that. Instead, he focused on reading Sessshomaru's eyes- which, much to his astonishment, told him lots of things he didn't know he didn't know. His gaze, normally so cold, was made of fire in that moment- and there are always different shapes in a flame's dance, some that tell thier own stories. It was for the first time then, that Inuyasha noticed just how tired his sibling really was. Tired and...Jaded. Like he'd seen things, or knew things..._

So the Hanyou's musings travelled, circling back over the same points like an agitated animal pacing in a cage. He supposed his mind would be both at once, were it not for the stubborn blockade he'd placed around those troubling thoughts...like why in the three realms- or rather _how_ \- was he physically "excited" by any of that-

"Inuyasha?" It was Miroku. Typical.

"Whad'ya want, Monk? I'm in no mood to be bothered, so if you ain't got something important to say, leave."

"Your manners are as attrocious as ever..."

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Sesshomaru walked the forest floor, searching for the door he suspected would be the cause of his mental undoing- which would not bode well for his travelling companion, who refused to leave his side no matter what the insufferable daiyoukai threw at the annoying imp. Literally.

"Milord, just where are we going?" Sesshomaru resisted the urge ot roll his eyes for the dozenth time that evening.

"I must visit an old aquaintance of Mother's."

"Y-your Mother?!" Jaken stated in clear alarm.

"He is physically harmless. He has no more physical strength than you do, most likely. However..."

"Y-yes, well, any aquaintance of your mother is not one I would think of as harmless, if you don't mind my saying." That brought a small, wry smile to Sesshomaru's lips, which, of course, terrified his charge. "You are wiser than you appear, Jaken. Indeed, he has his uses...Not that he is inherently dangerous to me. You, however, his 'pets' may eat." Sesshomaru ignored the onslaught of babbling, screeching imp in favor of noticing the door he'd come to find, hidden more or less within the bark of a large, spreading oak tree. The seals placed on the door were not difficult for the experienced spellcaster- or spellcaster's son, as the case may be- to notice, making the door easier to spot. As if sensing his arrival, the door glowed for a moment, opening inward, which still felt strange after living in a world of side-ways opening doors for so long. Sesshomaru was hit upon entering the threshold with two primary feelings- a strong aura being the first he noticed. It was thick here, like the air was suddenly made of velvet*, though, bizarrely enough, the weight was almost comforting. The second feeling that hit him was not so tangible- nostalgia. He had been here once before as a small pup, though he remembered not the purpose of that visit- all he remembered was his mother, the smell and thick feeling of the air in this place, which resided underground, and a distant voice cooing at him.

Shaking himself physically from his thoughts, he descended into the remote darkness. A few steps into the dark, earthen hall that had been cut from a shallow hill behind the massive oak, a light appeared at the end of it, leading him into a familiar cavern. The walls were decorated with everything you might imagine you could place on an earthen wall, and then some. Glittering silver and glass spun from the ceiling as several odd lamps lit the place aglow with a warm light. Intricately patterned rugs lined the floors as well as walls to some degree, and everything had a almost cozy sort of monotony for the shades of color.**

"Ah, Sesshomaru-sama!" A soft but cheery voice called from his right. Approaching him now was one of the man's "pets"- a very rare and...ornate, kind of tengu. The bird was dressed traditionally, with long tri-toned hair pulled back into a high tail, his narrow, falcon-like wings tucked at his back, concealing much of thier ornate patterns and colors.

"It's been so long since we've last met. I'm Kinjiro, in case you forgot- then again, you were only a bae when you were here last. That said, I suppose you'd like to see Master. This way, if you don't mind." True to Sesshomaru's expectations, the birds voice flowed like cool water, smooth and shallow. Well, at least he was quick to get to the point.

Sesshomaru was lead down a short hallway hidden on the right of the room into another cavern, more dimly lit, but just as decorated as before. The space was larger, and there was a dark wood table somewhere near the middle. From this cavern he was lead again to a threshold, with yet another swinging door. The fancy tengu rapped on the door a few times with his knuckles, promting the door to swing open. The tengu, Kinjiiro, stepped aside, granting him entry. Inside was a den, lined with thick cloth rugs and animal skins of all kinds, and strung here or there were more shimmering strings of glass beads and mirror shards. The room was dimly lit by a single candle flame, casting long, but surprisingly warm shadows off of the several skulls and bones which line the shelves going around the room. At the rooms rear center sat a low table surrounded by cushions- and on the other side of it were exactly the people he'd expected to find here.

"Hello again, Lord Sesshomaru." Said Axce, Standing at the side of her master, who did not even look up from his delicate porcelin Sake cup, from which he sipped the sweet smelling drink. Not that Sesshomaru supposed he needed to.

"Please, sit. There is much to discuss. And before you ask, no, I won't be here the entire time, so you'll be free to say what you wish soon enough," Axce prompted, motioning with her hand for him to be seated. At first, Sesshomaru was all to eager to decline- however, thinking back to the message and his sibling, Sesshomaru decidied that, indeed, there was much to be said tonight- and it would likely take some time to go over everything. That in mind, he reluctantly sat at the table accross from his mother;s aquaintance, who still had not lifted his head or opened his closed eyes to even acknowledge Sesshomaru's presence. Taking the silent opportunity, Sesshomaru gave the man a good once over.

He sat cross legged, his clothing somewhat foreign, but casual appearing, with a bright shirt hidden beneath the rippling folds of a very long, almost roughed-up looking robe, which had a dull sort of appearance no matter what angle or imagination the daiyoukai may have entertained. His hair was long and loose, the majority of it being of a silvery color like his own, except for one bold black streak that low-lighted his lighter hair. His face was young but mature, his jawline squarish and face long. Though, all in all, he wasn't unattractive. Freckled, spotted face be damned.

"Greetings, Young Lord," he finally stated after what felt like an eternity, finally looking up with his bright colored*** eyes at his guest.

"Greetings to you as well...Eerius Akyrin." Sesshomaru felt himself shift into "Formal mode", keeping close tabs on his choice of diction, particuarly with his Mother's associates.

"I trust you are well?" Eerius inquired, peacefully sipping at his cup before gesturing to Axce to fill one for thier guest. Sesshomaru declined the offer with a raised hand. One of the things he never did share with his late father was his affinity for human alcohols. Not that Sesshomaru particularly enjoyed alcohol anyway, but...

"As well as can be." Sesshomaru replied, returning his hand to his lap. He let there be a defining silence for several moments before continuing. Neither of them were small-talkers, it seemed. "Why did you send that scroll? More to the point, why send it to Inuyasha, knowing he could not decipher the contents?"

"I was rather hoping you would translate- though I'm guessing that isn't what happened." Sesshomaru took a split second to make a tiny bit of room for nostalgia to hit again at the calm, smooth, tepid quality of this mans voice. It was a soothing kind of timbre, like the sound of someone who you could never imagine raising thier voice at anything for any reason, could not mentally picture with fury etched onto thier serene faces- yet Sesshomaru knew that it was people like him who were the most dangerous to offend, for thier calm allowed them deadly precision, with thier anger as a primary weapon. He aught to know- he tried hard to do the same. "No." Sesshomaru replied. Eerius sighed, placing his hands above the table. "Actually," a small smile graced the mans lips. "Your brother is exactly what I called you here about."

"Then you did not intend for him to come?"

"Hn. It would not have done me much good to call him directly- it is unlikely he would have heeded me, and if he had, it would have been with sword in hand- not exactly the best conditions for having a relatively peaceful conversation." He had a point.

"And what does Inuyasha have to do with me, directly?" Sesshomaru could not stop the bitterness seeping into his voice. He was not sure from whence it came, but it made itself known. "Acxe," Eerius said, "Go. You are dismissed." And with a brief wave of a hand, they were alone. A long silence followed. "As you are aware, Sesshomaru-sama, I am a Seer. And, beyond that, I am from a different time. A fututre time. " Eerius said with a sigh.

"And? You have something to say of mine?"

"Something like that, yes. However...I do not suspect you will do very much about it. Rather makes this seem like a moot conversation, no? But, as it were, we are too far to go back."

"What is my purpose here? What do yo want with me?"

"Oh, Sesshomaru, always so selfish," he chided. "This is about your brother too. He plays a vital role in your future- success or fail." Eerius had stood to place the now empty Sake bottle on a shelf, and now took to pacing the floor.

"What do you mean, success or fail?" Sesshomaru snapped. "See, that's the tricky part. You may not be aware of this, but I am not allowed to give people truths about thier future in a direct manner. It bends the rules of time." Eerius explained, gesturing in circles with his hand. "So I must deliver the message in a way that they might discover thier own destiny. Beyond that, You are here because the time has come for you to be told what may await you."

"Time?"

"The matter was not as relevant before now." Eerius said.

"And? What is the matter, exactly?" A long silence followed.

"It regards your lordship- as well as your brother's."

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 **Ok, wow! wasn't that exciting? Sorry this seems kind of mashed up- well, it IS mashed up. What can I say?**

 **Well, being as there's 3 "*" asterisks that all concern the same problem, I'm just gonna explain it all now.**

 **Sesshomaru's biology is, as far as applicable, defined by canine standards in this fic. Meaning, in this case, that he sees the way dogs do. Ultra-high definition, but with really crappy color. In this case, he** _ **can not**_ **see RED or GREEN. No dog can. This means his vision is basically made up of mostly yellows, browns, blacks, off-whites, and blues. In that order. I, stupid me, did not realise my dilemma until I started writing this chapter- that is, of course, that pretty much everything in those caverns is, in my head, RED, (well, burgundy and maroon) and GREEN (pillows and Eeruis's eyes & shirt) and White (but he can see that color, more or less) *** _ **cue dramatic facepalm**_ *** Ugh, oh well. Gives readers imaginations more room, anyway.**

 **I will try to update ASAP! untill then, hold tight, and don't forget to** _ **REVIEW or PM :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, hello again. In case you missed it, last chapter I made a reference to "more than one rabbit"- well, I had intended to keep that riddle unsolved, but decided it was better to warn the masses that this stories plot is HIGHLY complex. Where we are? that's just the platform. The backdrop. This is one of those "plot within a plot within a plot" type of adventures, so if you're not prepared for the ride, let go now. If all goes well, this chapter will feature the beginning of the plot-within-a-plot advent is why I mention this now. Also, despite the fact I typically detest Main-Character x OC plots or stories of any kind, it somehow ended up playing out like that in my head, despite my best efforts. Don't worry, the InuxSesshy is coming up, but not for a while. Sesshomaru has some...demons, to defeat before we get there. (and Inu too) And before you are totally discouraged, the OC in question IS male, and has a...revealing, effect on Sesshy. Tehehe.**

 **Ok, now that thats done with, lets see what our Seer friend has to say, hm? (oh, and on that note, Eerius is, for our purposes, pronounced the japanese way- meaning it sounds like "air-ree-us" n** ot "eee-ree-us" **which, to me at least, is harder to say even mentally. Hey, I got it off a generator, what'd'ya expect?)**

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 **CH V**

 _ **Last time:**_ _"What do you mean, success or fail?" Sesshomaru snapped. "See, that's the tricky part. You may not be aware of this, but I am not allowed to give people truths about thier future in a direct manner. It bends the rules of time." Eerius explained, gesturing in circles with his hand. "So I must deliver the message in a way that they might discover thier own destiny. Beyond that, You are here because the time has come for you to be told what may await you."_

 _"Time?"_

 _"The matter was not as relevant before now." Eerius said._

 _"And? What is the matter, exactly?" A long silence followed._

 _"It regards your lordship- as well as your brother's."_

 _..._

"Inuyasha? Lordship?" Sesshomaru coughed a wry bark of laughter.

"Well, not presently, no. But soon he will have his own place in the world- where, exactly, that place is is entirely up to the both of you. Which is what you're here about." Sesshomaru was reluctant to admit that the mans serious facial expression had sobered him of his abrupt bitterness for his sibling and placed him in an odd silence. "And what, pray-tell, is my role in this?"

"That depends on you," Eerius shrugged. "you will either be his confidant or his bitter enemy. His brother or his source of bloodlust. His hope, or his fall from grace." Eerius once more shrugged, turning from Sesshomaru to the shelf behind him. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to growl as the familiar feeling of confusion led him down the well worn path to frustration at the lack of coherent information. "And I don't suppose you can tell me more?" he nearly ground his teeth saying it, but it came out smooth and clear regardless. "Hm, actually, I can- but no matter what I say, you are going to be frustrated. As I said, I wish I could be more forward with you, but the rules dissallow it." Eerius once more sat at the table, a new bottle of Sake in hand. "Here's the thing, Sesshomaru-sama, if I may be so bold," Eerius said, head bowed between his elbows as they supported his upper half on the table- a rude gesture, but one he allowed. "Your brother- Inuyasha- is not really war-material." Sesshomaru allowed his brow to rise in surprise at the turn of the conversation. "You know this. I know this. Somewhere, Inuyasha is aware of this, as are his friends. However, there is one solid reason, one _changeable_ reason why this is so. " Sesshomaru pricked his ears, at attention. "He is too easily corrupted." Sesshomaru's expression changed to confusion, then increduluity in an instant. Eerius continued before Sesshomaru could question him. "Now, I don't mean that just anyone can corrupt him. Actually, I can't really think of anyone that could breach his mind or guarded heart that deeply- except, as it were, _you._ "

"Me?"

"Hm."

Sesshomaru scoffed. "And where did that conclusion arise from?" Sesshomaru said smugly, but inside, he knew better than to take the Seer's word for granted, and it sent his mind wheeling. Eerius sighed as he poured his own Sake. "You would dislike that reply more than what will happen if he _is_ corrupted. It isn't just you- even you can't reach that far into him. The only person that can do that is-"

"-himself." Sesshomaru finished, pieces suddenly, and satisfyingly, clicking into place.

"Indeed. And it will be you who either mends the broken- or rather absent- bond within himself, or forces him to tear himself in half. Should the latter happen, you will find yourself in a most unfortunate position."

"And where would that be?" Eerius hesitated suddenly before answering.

"Dead." Sesshomaru was first taken aback by the gravity of his tone, but quickly recovered with a double dose of disbelief. There was no way he could ever lose to the mutt- unless...

"...Your brother will be your downfall. I'm not suuposed to tell people how they die, or when- but I feel it fit to warn you in advance- do not take that path. The path to Inuyasha's corruption begins and ends with you- and should it come about, you will end, too." Eerius's voice had gotten quiet and severe. He wasn't joking.

"And by corruption, I presume you are talking about his demon side?"

"I can't answer that. But, I can give you a clue as to how to avoid the path- or at least to know when you're on it." Sesshomaru nodded his approval.

"Watch the moon as it rises into fire- extinguish with the waters of compassion that which bursts with fire and light. At the red dawn, do not expound, for silence says what many actions have left undecided. When the snows fall, feed the fires for warmth- but they will not be contained." Eerius finished, letting a cool silence fall over them. Sesshomaru processed what he could right then, before rising to his feet. "If that is all there is to be said-"

"Go. I understand you are busy. Besides, you have a guest coming to see you soon. You aught to say hello." Eerius smiled crookedly at this, motioning for Sesshomaru to go.

He was a very strange Seer, Sesshomaru decided. A strange man.

Outside the caverns and dens, Sesshomaru found sunlight- it was mid morning. However, true to Eerius's prediction, sunlight was not all he found.

"Hello, Sesshomaru."

"You just don't know when to leave well enough alone, do you?"

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Inuyasha and Miroku walked along a less-than used forest path, the monk surprisingly at ease navigating the patchy, rocky terain. Inuyasha supposed that was at least partially his fault for dragging him around when they went looking for the jewel shards all those years ago...

"You know you don't have to follow me. Go home. A human like you is nothin' but bait out here."

"Then I'm sure whatever creature my presence happens to summon will pose a nice challange for you." Miroku said simply. Inuyasha tensed with agitation. He hated it when the monk did that...

"Keh. They wish," Inuyasha scoffed.

"Oh? And if it were Sesshomaru to head this way?" Inuyasha faltered a moment at this, blindsided by the (percieved) jab. Damn monk.

And Miroku noticed. He noticed that glassy look in his friends eyes that told him his words had upset Inuyasha to a "guarding" level- which meant he held his hands inside his sleeves defensively and would probably snap some bravado-comment at him to try regaining his pride. Normally, that situation would be the end of it- however, Miroku had an agenda.

"Sesshomaru ain't nothin' to me anymore. Hell, we barely ever see each other. And when we do, he don't stick around long enough to piss me off- usually." Inuyasha huffed. So _thats_ what this was about...interesting.

"I see." was all Miroku said for the time. There was a long silence.

"So why're you really following me around like some _Itsumade*_ waiting for a wounded man to die?"

"Because I'm concerned for you, friend." Miroku offered in his unusual stern-but-soft voice. "I'm not the only one either. We've all seen how you've been the last few weeks. Never mind that you're completely avoiding miss Kagome-hey!" Inuyasha began walking faster, trying desperately to avoid the conversation he knew was coming. It was a futile effort, he knew, but...

Miroku stepped in front of him before he could dodge around him, effectively halting his friend's escape. Inuyasha, much to Miroku's surprise, did not make any other escape attempt- just lowered his gaze to the ground and kept it there. "Look," Miroku offered, stepping forward and attempting to place a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. The Hanyou shrugged it off, but Miroku insisted. He placed his hand as gently as possible on his friends shoulder, bending over in an attempt to establish face-contact at least. "I swear on my life, you can tell me. I wont say anything to anyone about it, if that's what you want. " He knelt in the dirt now, trying desperately to catch his digruntled friend's face as is hid behind a veil of white hair. "Look at me." he asked. "Inuyasha, look at me, please," the hint of desperation in his voice got through to the Hanyou, who looked at him with mild surprise. "I swear, by everything that makes me a man, that my word will be on my honor. Please, Inuyasha...I want to help you. But I can't do that- no one can do that, if you don't tell me what is wrong."

A long silence followed.

"I-I...I just..." Inuyasha stuttered. He finally sighed, letting his tense shoulders fall a bit. "Hey, I know of a spring around here- mind taking a bath with me?" Miroku nodded his consent rather dumbly, not expecting his pleas to actually reach the normally so distant half-dog. "Oh, and get up- you look dumb sitting in the dirt." Miroku ground his teeth just a bit at the comment, but got up and followed his friend obediently. They travelled for just a short ways before nearing a smallish spring shrouded by brush. It was quiet here, with plenty enough cover for privacy. Miroku could see why Inuyasha would like the place.

They each stripped down and waded in. From there a silence followed. There had really been too much of that with him lately. "So?" Miroku promted. Inuyasha took a deep breath before sighing it out. "I've been having a...dream, I guess, lately."

"A dream? About what, if I may ask?" At this, Inuyasha became as scarlet as his robes. It took Miroku a moment to guess at why.

"Oh- so its _that_ sort of 'dream', huh?" Miroku smiled coyly. Inuyasha turned even deeper red. "Shatup monk," Inuyasha spit, "I've had dreams like _that_ before. This one though...it's different. "

"Different how?" Miroku asked, face sobered of its mocking smile.

"W-well..." Inuyasha stammered, trying vainly to hide his scarlet face. "I'ts okay, you know," Miroku offered reassuringly. "Having lived the life I have, I have had all manner of dreams in regards to the subject. "

"You are not helping, monk!"

"Okay...Well, my point was, you don't need to feel so embarrassed. Besides, I think I've heard just about everything..." _'or thought about it...'_

"Keh. I'm pretty confident you've never had a dream like this one...unless, y'know, you're into that thing..."

"Go on," Miroku prompted, ignoring the intense coloring if his friends skin. The statement had piqued the listening monks curiousity visibly. "Um...What, precisely, is this dream about?" Inuyasha stopped and held his breath a moment before letting it all out in one go. This visibly relaxed him somewhat. "This is a...odd, question, probably, but..."

"Yes?"

"...have you ever, yknow...k-kissed a guy?"

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"Is that any decent way to greet a friend?"

"When did you decide we were 'friends' ?" Sesshomaru barked, walking around the taller-than-him obstruction known only as "Suigin**", who was at present following the Daiyoukai as he had done for the last EIGHT WEEKS. "Well, you don't like any other word I've used."

"Because I do not care for this foolishness."

"Ouch, Sesshy, harsh." Sesshomaru cringed in sheer agitation. There was no getting away from this utterly maddening creature, as Sesshomaru had learned over the last two moons.

Suigin was a rather large male dragon-youkai, and by rather large, he meant only a few centimetres*** taller than himself. Still, though height was not in his general favor, he did posess an impressive layer of muscle beneath his clothing, which screamed "aristocracy"with a single glance. Much of his clothing, much like Sesshomaru's, was white, but one hardly noticed it for all the black and green**** armor he wore. Outfitted with chinese-style armor, he wore arm guards and a chest piece made of what appeared to be white snake or dragon belly skin, with woven armor made of bamboo, most likely, beneath it. This under-armor extended up to his neck, forming a solid ring that closely shielded his throat being slit in battle. Underneath that, his skin was a pale, almost white, icy blue; his eyes were guarded by long black lashes and were an admittedly interesting shade of liquid saphire. His hair, tied typically into a tail high on the back of his scalp, was held in place always by a bright red(****) ribbon, and was a light-catching shade of ash black. A tail sometimes followed him, long and blue, with black hair turning to midnight saphire at the end. And, not to forget the two swords he carried at his waist, one with a marble in its handle, the other a seemingly ordinary sword which, as of yet, he had not seen Suigin draw.

He had seen Akumahoho^, Suigin's predominant sword, though.

"And here I was under the impression you still owed me a pret-ty big favor. After all, I did technically save your hide from being bird food- I mean, c'mon, what more do you ask?"

"I ask that you leave me alone, yet I do not see that desire being fulfilled, espcially as you seem intent on abusing this imaginary power you think you possess over this Sesshomaru."

"Imaginary power? I would never! I just couldn't think of a really good way for you to repay me at the time."

"I do not imagine it should take two full moons to have made up your mind." Sesshomaru snapped and growled and sassed when need be, but Suigin remained a picture of calm and confident. And as far as Sesshomaru had tried to rid himself of the nuisance, he was convinced that nothing, literally _nothing_ could ruffle this damned youkai...or throw him off his back, as the matter were.

"Well, you're half right...I thought of a few things, but I get the distinct impression I'll only have one shot at this, so I want to make it good..." Sesshomaru resisted the urge to fight the daiyoukai -again- for it would seem that age had made his opponent much the wiser- and incredibly difficult to defeat. Even for bakusaiga. Which made the fact that he followed him everywhere that much more unbearable. It were as if he made out to openly mock Sesshomaru or make him look weak.

He hated it.

Sesshomaru, previously walking very quickly through the woods, whirled on his "aquaintance" with lightning speed. Of course, as per usual, Suigin had already predicted the move somehow and stepped out of range of any immediate attack before Sesshomaru had even finished turning on his heel. "How many times will you try the same trick? I've told you time and tiime again, you can't throw anything at me I can't handle. And that's not pride talking- its fact, as you are fast learning." Suigin babbled like a brook whenever he was in Sesshomaru's company, adding fuel to the fire of agitation. "Shut up!" Sesshomaru didn't understand his own feelings anymore. He was tired of being followed, tired of people telling him things he didn't understand, and just generally tired of _everything._ Growling, he lunged once more- no matter how futile the effort may have been, anything was better than listening to his opponent openly gloat.

"You know," Suigin stated, unfazed, "I'm begginning to think you have selective hearing. I told you," Suigin said as he suddenly flashed out of the way, reappearing beside Sesshomaru too fast for the Daiyoukai to make proper formation. This left him vulnerable- though rather than take a shot for Sesshomaru's exposed ribs, Suigin instead gripped his leading wrist in a tight, but unpainful grip. He repeated the same action when Sesshomaru, fueled by distressed anger, used his other hand to attempt a strike- a bad move if ever there was one. Both wrists clasped tight, Sesshomaru struggled- but to no avail. "..There's nothing you can throw at me I can't handle." Suigin finished. There was no triumphant smile, and no further movement on Suigin's part. After a moment, Sesshomaru also ceased moving, a strange emotion rapidly consuming him- like hot, damp air blowing aggressively in the night, the feeling was hot and empty, and it made him even more confused than before. However, what was more distressing was the fact that he felt no real need to escape this unfortunate situation. After all, they were alone out here, and it was not the first time he and Suigin had fought- if you could call it that- and, in spite of having his physical vulnerabilities exposed to this strange, mysterious youkai on more than one occaision (humiliating as that may have been) he never took them. He offerred to spar, to play, and to be a "friend" but had never once so far offered to harm him- even when Suigin himself had been hurt by Bakusaiga.

"Come here," Suigin said softly, causing Sesshomaru to look up at him skeptically. "I don't bite. Well, not if I don't have to." he smiled softly. That look. It was _that look_ that he hated more than anything else about this man.

It was the look Rin had given him when they first met.

It was the look Kagome had given him the first time he hadn't rejected her calling him "aniki" despite the fact it was hardly appropriate... but the one thing it reminded him of most, the one thing _Suigin_ reminded him of is what felt the worst.

It was the look his father had always given him as a child. That soft, contented, _safe_ smile.

And goddamnit, _it hurt._

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 **Okay! Hate to cut it off in the middle of a fantastic scene, but it wouldn't be catching if I didn't leave y'all on edge...hehehe...**

 **ASTERISKS!**

 ***Itsumade:** _A kind of youkai that looks like a hybrid between a dragon and a bird, with the eyes of a man; it is basically the youkai equivalent of a vulture, circling battlefields in particular, crying "_ Itsumademo! Itsumademooo!" _("Untill when? Untill whe-n?_ ") _waiting for you to die._

 ****Suigin:** __ _translated as "Mercury" (Lit. "liquid silver")_

 *****Centimetres:** _Yay for using the metric system! We will chalk thier height difference up to 12cm (roughly 3" if I remember conversions from three years ago...)_

 ******Red & Green: Yes, I know he can not see these colors.** _however, I could not leave Suigin's colors unaddressed.(for reasons you will understand later hopefully) Don't ask me why all my damn OC in here always have red and green, but it just happened that way._

 **^ Akumahoho:** _AKA "Demon phoenix" is the primitive name for Suigin's sword. You'll understand it more later._

 **^^Defeat:** _In this case, "Defeat" as it applies to sparring- give or take- they have not had thier grandeur battle yet. oops, I think I spoiled..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again. I find it most odd that I am compelled to begin the opening A/N as if it were a letter...then again, it IS addressed to an audience, so I suppose the formality makes sense. Anywho-**

 **It only took me 5 chapters to re-read my writing to check the track record...part of me wants to move this story along ASAP because of its very slow development, but I am also compelled to backtrack, so that things make more sense...the result is a chapter that was rather hard to piece together in my head, as well as a very long one. So, if things are choppy or disorganised, you know why. (at least on this site you can warn your audience for your inadequecies- in a novel, which I am also juggling into my life, you have not that luxury, so my apologies if my A/N seems too frequent or too long- its just not something you get to do elsewhere)**

 **Anyway, ONWARD!**

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 **CH VI**

 _ **Last time: ...**_ _"Come here," Suigin said softly, causing Sesshomaru to look up at him skeptically. "I don't bite. Well, not if I don't have to." he smiled softly. That look. It was that look that he hated more than anything else about this man._

 _It was the look Rin had given him when they first met._

 _It was the look Kagome had given him the first time he hadn't rejected her calling him "aniki" despite the fact it was hardly appropriate... but the one thing it reminded him of most, the one thing_ _ **Suigin**_ _reminded him of is what felt the worst._

 _It was the look his father had always given him as a child. That soft, contented,_ _ **safe**_ _smile._

 _And goddamnit,_ _ **it hurt.**_

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"Come here." Suigin said again, tugging with no real effort at Sesshomaru's wrists, pulling him fractionally closer. He stepped gently forth, closing the gap between them considerably. He stayed far enough away that they did not touch, but remained close enough that Sesshomaru could feel his breath lightly caress his hair and face. He kept his head up, but out of a strange mix of respect and anger, refused to meet his eye. His head bowed after a few moments, though, not from defeat, but a sudden sense of fatigue. Suigin moved slightly closer, bowing so that their cheeks were level, hair barely touching. They stayed that way a while, Suigin silently asking for permission to touch. Sesshomaru made no obvious reply, so he continued- tenatively.

He crept slightly closer still. Centimeter by centimeter he crept, loosening his grip on his captive's wrists before gently releasing one hand- a bold, presumtuous move in his case, but one he was willing to take the fall for if it proved to be a mistake. Sensing to ill intent, he went on, slowly, gently brushing Sesshomaru's hair aside, exposing his neck. He felt the Daimyo stiffen a bit as he drew closer, but reassured him with a gentle stroke of the back of his hand against the youkai's chest. It was enough, it seemed, for he relaxed a bit. Leaning in, he let his nose just barely touch the pale skin it sought before releasing a breath against it. Sensing movement, he stiffened, prepared to retreat at the first sign he was crossing an unwanted boundary- but relaxed when he realized it was only Sesshomaru tilting his head to the side; though whether it was an invitation or a message of rebuttal he did not know.

" Is that an invitation?" he breathed against the Daiyoukai's neck, hesitating a moment, awaiting a reply, before tenderly placing lips against that pale neck. The touch was delicate and fleeting, Suigin pulling away a moment later. "...Is this what you have been needlessly fussing over the last two moons?" Sesshomaru asked. His eyes were closed, refusing to betray anything. Suigin barked a deep laugh at his companion's tone.  
"Well, I wouldn't say that. Though I will admit it has crossed my mind before." Suigin said. Sesshomaru remained stoic, though the stillness did not last long. He opened his eyes, which still betrayed nothing, and spoke in a timbre monotony. "...And what of the 'debt' I apparently owe you?" Suigin smirked, eyes closing as a rough, short cough of laughter escaped him. "I know where this is going." He said softly, returning again to face Sesshomaru fully, lightly reaching out to run his fingertips against his waist. Leaning in to Sesshomaru, he held his voice at a whisper once more. "...and you won't get away that easily."

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It was well past midnight when the boys returned home. Kagome, attending an ill child in need of more continual care while Rin slept, looked up from her work to watch them through the open door as they strode into the village like they hadn't been gone for nearly five hours. She almost felt bad for Miroku as she watched from afar a seemingly rough interrogation on him from Sango right from the get-go. Kagome was almost envious, watching them bicker, her eyes travelling to her so-called husband.

Things had been so good in the beginning. They were more than certainly in love, and jumped at the opportunity to settle into a life together. And for the first two or three years, it was bliss- they were a family, and at last, at long last, they belonged to one another. Inuyasha had built and renovated new housing for the village, which helped the villagers to accept him just a little more, as did his role as the protector. He was quite litterally the "watch dog" of the village, as some villagers reffered to him, and as much as she was reluctant to admit it, the job, and title to some degree, suited him well. However, coming up on the third or fourth (she couldn't recall which exactly) winter, something changed. She remembered all to clearly the events of that january.

Inuyasha had been away on a trip, a money-and-supply gathering one, with Miroku and a few other villagers who were more...comfortable, travelling with a half-youkai. The trip had gone well, so she was told. All was well, and nothing initially struck her as strange.

Untill she had asked for intimacy later that night.

Being a dog, Inuyasha usually more than eagerly jumped at the prospect- but for reasons she still did not understand, he declined. He said it was due to back pain, but the dismissals kept coming for several days- long after he should have been healed. And, long behold, confronting him about it led to a huge fight. They made up quickly, though, Inuyasha finally giving in to her demands. But even the sex didn't feel right. She knew he'd been hiding something from her, but decidied at the time that letting things cool off was a smarter move than adding fuel to the fire.

The peace lasted about a week. Inuyasha began avoiding her, so she presumed, which of course rekindled the flames. It was then that things started really rolling downhill. After another round of "why are you avoiding me? Are you doing things behind my back?" , they made up- again, with sex as a component, because wasn't that what normal couples did?- and suddenly, out of nowhere, Inuyasha- _Inuyasha_ \- proposed the idea of having a child. The offer had completely thrown her- sure, they'd talked about it, but...was he serious?

After rounds of questions, it seemed he _was_ serious. They had been about as careful as they could have been, all things considered, resisting a child until both of them felt it was the right time. Well, that had been the right time. So they copulated...again. And again. And again...But no child came. So ensued a two month trial-and error with just about every conception crack any of them - Miroku and Sango included- could find.

Still no child came.

And still no child on the third moon. They decided one more time to try at the peak of the new moon.

And it worked.

She was pregnant! Pregnant with her beloved's child. She had never felt happier...

...Or more devastated when she lost it in the third month... So, they tried again...

Once more, she was impregnated, and once more, she miscarried the baby. Unable to handle losing a child for the third time, Kagome withdrew from thier valliant attempts. She was on the verge of sinking into a depression when Inuyasha made a very shocking suggestion.

 _"Why not have someone else's baby?"_ He'd said. _"I know how it sounds, but... My body just isn't good at producing healthy babies."_ She'd been about to argue, but he cut her off. _"Look, I know what you're gonna say. And yeah, I'm taking this too personally, but how could you blame me? Even if either of those kid's were born...If they weren't strong..."_

 _"I know." She replied._

 _"...Yeah...Look, It's okay if you want this. Really. I wouldn't have suggested it if I knew I wouldn't be okay with it."_

 _"But that would mean-"_

 _"Mean giving you away to another man? I'm aware of that. And like I said, I'd be okay with it if you wanted to." He sighed. "Look, Kagome, I...I want this. I want...something. A legacy, if you will. Someone I can pass stuff down to. Shippo works for the long haul, but he's not here very often any more, and I can't exactly steal Sango's kids." This made her laugh, though she regained a sombre atmosphere after a moment. "Actually, Miroku volunteered..." She rolled her eyes at this, but her husband cut her off before she could comment on the lecher. "And Sango would be okay with it." This sent her reeling into silence._

 _"You're really serious about this, arent you?"_

 _"Yeah. I...I just want you to be happy. I want US to be happy. And besides, having a munchkin around will keep you company while I'm away on work." Kagome got a strange sense from that statement- something in the way he said it. "...Okay."_

In the end, she did -reluctantly- sleep with the monk, but again, no child was born. Destined infertile, she took instead to looking after children such as the one residing in her lap at the very moment, a young child with a typical flu. It helped to satiate her maternal drives to some degree at least. And true to Inuyasha's prediction, the constant presence of children kept her busy while he was away.

The problem was, no matter how close he was to her, he was always so, _so_ far away now.

And she didn't understand why.

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"...So...Let me get this right- You're having dreams...about _men_...doing...less than pure things, lets say- and _that's_ what you think is driving you and Kagome apart?" Miroku reiterated. They were still in the hot spring, Inuyasha turning redder and redder for a variety of reasons- hot water being but one factor. "Well...yeah, k-kind of..." Inuyasha heaved a breath to regain his composure. "It just doesn't feel the same, Miroku...I mean, it hasn't, really, since 'you-know-what' but..."

"You mean the instance where you thought you were betraying your wife?"

"Hey! Don't say that like I made it up! That shit seriously sucked. " Inuyasha glared, inching forward a bit. "I mean, have _you_ ever been seduced by a damn water-spirit? No. And believe me, you don't want to be."

"It couldn't have been that bad. I mean, she _did_ succeed..."

"Shut up! It was horrible...like I lost a part of myself..."

"Well, you _did_ revert to your demon-form, right?"

"Yeah, I think so...unless she used some wierd memory spell..."

"Wait, so if you don't remember sleeping with her, how'd you know you did? And more importantly- how'd you know it was bad?" _Whack._ "I-I deserved that," The monk covered the forming bump on his skull with his hands. "I know I slept with the bitch 'cuz of her smell, and you...may be right about not really knowing that part, but I sure as shit didn't like the wierd crap she was doin' to me _before_ I lost my damn mind, thank you!" Miroku laughed lightly at his friends sulking face before regaining composure and continuing. "But, seriously- I don't know why you beat yourself up over that. She _was_ a temptress, right? Anyone could've fallen for that. And besides, you said something about her smell being different, right?"

"Yeah- like it was coaxing my youki out of me or something..." Inuyasha sighed. "But...well, I guess it's hard to explain. I just feel like if I were stronger-"

"Don't, Inuyasha. Even the strongest men can be swayed by a youkai like that. They cast spells and Illusions on men to fool them into sleeping with them, only to either eat them or steal thier energy, as she did to you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Besides, you should count yourself lucky. Not many men can say they've met a seducing Youkai like that and lived to tell about it. That in itself proves you're already strong."

As grateful as Inuyasha was for the compliment, he didn't feel it quite the same. "But I'm still not strong enough to take Sesshomaru down without my Demon-concious taking over me." Miroku resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ' _one hell of a long-term memory, this one'_ But Miroku understood. In the absence of a father-figure, Inuyasha's abusive half-sibling had come to be a source of ambition for the Hanyou, an obstacle- or competetor- to surpass. It made sense when you thought about it, but...

"Inuyasha...while we're being honest here...I don't think surpassing your brother is such a good goal to have in mind..."

"Eh? Why the hell not?"

"Because...because he's easily over three-hundred years your senior, and like Myoga said, he's a Daimyo...Untill you become one, I just don't see it happening." Seeing he'd upset his friend, he continued. "B-but that doesn't neccessarily mean that you can't be a lord. It would take time, but it would be possible..."

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Sesshomaru had been walking aimlessly after his confrontation with Suigin, which hadn't helped the spinning thoughts in his head, already making him dizzy.

 _"...you will either be his confidant or his bitter enemy. His brother or his source of bloodlust. His hope, or his fall from grace."_ Well, he was supposed to be two of these things, but his views had been altered by that human girl. So he was at square one with that one.

" _He is too easily corrupted...Now, I don't mean that just anyone can corrupt him. Actually, I can't really think of anyone that could breach his mind or guarded heart that deeply- except, as it were,_ _ **you.**_ **"** What in the sixteen levels of hell* was that supposed to mean? Was he meant to be some kind of catalyst for his half-sibling's self-destruction? A cringe-worthy voice in the back of his head whispered ' _you already are, or have been'_ but it was easily dismissed.

 _"... it will be you who either mends the broken- or rather absent- bond within himself, or forces him to tear himself in half. Should the latter happen, you will find yourself in a most unfortunate position."_

 _"And where would that be?" Eerius hesitated suddenly before answering._

 _"Dead."_

The thought seemed unlikely- but if he was right, and Inuyasha permamently lost out to his inner-self...well, that might pose more of a challange. Still, as much as he loathed it, he knew better than to take a Seer's word for granted. After all, Eerius had no real reson to lie to him...Still, Inuyasha couldn't possibly kill him so easily- unless...

Sudden noise caught his rapt attention. Smelling the damp air, he found none other than his sibling and his holier companion residing in a spring. He'd come remarkably close without noticing them- the fault of the wind blowing the wrong way- and contemplated leaving; but then he heard a snippet of conversation.

"I mean, have _you_ ever been seduced by a damn water-spirit? No. And believe me, you don't want to be."

"It couldn't have been that bad. I mean, she _did_ succeed..."

"Shut up! It was horrible...like I lost a part of myself..."

"Well, you _did_ revert to your demon-form, right?"

"Yeah, I think so...unless she used some wierd memory spell..."

Well. That took a coincidental turn.

"Wait, so if you don't remember sleeping with her, how'd you know you did? And more importantly- how'd you know it was bad?" _Whack._ "I-I deserved that,"

"I know I slept with the bitch 'cuz of her smell, and you...may be right about not really knowing that part, but I sure as shit didn't like the wierd crap she was doin' to me _before_ I lost my damn mind, thank you!" Miroku laughed lightly. "But, seriously- I don't know why you beat yourself up over that. She _was_ a temptress, right? Anyone could've fallen for that. And besides, you said something about her smell being different, right?"

"Yeah- like it was coaxing my youki out of me or something..." Inuyasha sighed. "But...well, I guess it's hard to explain. I just feel like if I were stronger-"

"Don't, Inuyasha. Even the strongest men can be swayed by a youkai like that. They cast spells and Illusions on men to fool them into sleeping with them, only to either eat them or steal thier energy, as she did to you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Besides, you should count yourself lucky. Not many men can say they've met a seducing Youkai like that and lived to tell about it. That in itself proves you're already strong."

Well. Seems he had come to the right conclusion. Inuyasha by himself wasn't experienced enough to be much of a threat- but in the hands of someone who could manipulate his power... _that_ might pose a problem.

Sesshomaru had been wrapped in thought again before noticing their conversation had turned to himself.

"Inuyasha...while we're being honest here...I don't think surpassing your brother is such a good goal to have in mind..."

"Eh? Why the hell not?"

"Because...because he's easily over three-hundred years your senior, and like Myoga said, he's a Daimyo...Untill you become one, I just don't see it happening ...B-but that doesn't neccessarily mean that you can't be a lord. It would take time, but it would be possible..."

This was of interest to the Daimyo. Suddenly the pieces clicked into place.

But first, he was going to go "home"- Mother was expecting him back tonight, and would be more than furious if he did not return in a punctual manner.

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The village woke early- at the very peek of dawn, rice and other crops were set upon by their loyal farmers, the birds happily swallowing any bugs stirred in their wake. Inuyasha woke long before the others, a strange sense coming over him. He chose to ignore it for now, looking over to a sleeping Kagome. He really shouldn't have stayed out as late as he did, but after the hot-springs thing, he just didn't feel like going home for some reason. So he and Miroku continued thier discussion about his dream, Miroku of course suggesting actually _trying_ some things depicted in it, which Inuyasha denied, of course. And before he knew it, they weren't actually heading home until the now quarter-moon had risen.

 _'damn it...damn it all..."_

He was too awake to return to sleeping, so he decided to check out the village. One of the "improvements" he'd made at Sango's behest was two watch-towers, each equipped with a drum to sound alarm in the event Inuyasha was either absent, human, or incapacitated to the point of being unable to sense coming danger- and, of course, for the supposed evasion of surprise attacks, though no army in thier right mind would attack this place except to maybe raid it of food and supplies- but there'd only been one instance like that, and visitors were rare anyway, so...

And, of course, just because he thought of the bastard, he just _had_ to be arriving. Funny how that worked.

"Whad'ya want so early in the damn morning, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha gruffed. Sesshomaru only "hmf-ed" in response before the early-bird Rin came bounding out of her hut as soon as Inuyasha'd said his name. "I have a gift for you," Sesshomaru said, addressing Rin. He presented her with a blood-red robe, embroidered with black patterns. "It was from Mother, actually. She offered to give it to you in the hopes you might recall her." His voice was flat as always, but Inuyasha caught a slight edge to his words- maybe he was just imaginging it.

It was not long thereafter that Miroku and Sango joined them, seemingly happy to have time to themselves away from children for a while. Kagome soon joined them, though Inuyasha tried to avoid eye contact with her.

Suddenly, a chill crept up Inyasha's spine.

Sesshomaru must have sensed it, too, for he looked to the forested north of the village, body language alert. This triggered a chain reaction, causing everyone in sight of the two to shift body positions as well. Suddenly, Sesshomaru's body language changed again, from simply alert to sharply at attention. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Don't." He said sharply as Inuyasha went for his weapon. Inuyasha didn't have much time to feel confused before the sound of drumming echoed through the village. Seeing movement on his side, Inuyasha glanced at Sesshomaru, who's stance again changed from at attention to worryingly tense."Get inside." He said suddenly, to no one specifically. Turning to see that his order, for lack of a better term, was heeded, he barked again, loud enough to be heard by people who were frantically flocking around them for protection. "Get inside. Now." It took no time for the other villagers to heed his word, but at Rin's reluctance, he grew frustrated. "Rin! Get inside!" Hearing a foreign sound that was close to panic in her lord's voice, she eagerly heeded, taking Kagome and Sango's now awake children with her. "Miroku, you should-"

"And you as well, Inuyasha." At this, the Hanyou shot the Daiyoukai a bewildered expression. "Get inside with the others. Protect Rin. " Inuyasha would never admit to it if anyone asked, but the urgent way his usually stoic and uncaring brother spoke honesly frightened him. "Go. These Youkai are indescriminate- they will eat you as well as any human they can catch. Go. Thier business here is with me."

"Again?"

"Go!" Sesshomaru barked fiercely, allowing no more room to question his authority. Inuyasha reluctantly obeyed, returning to the place they each now shared, keeping tabs on what was happening via the door, which he peeked through. He was genuinely afraid of what might show up if even _Sesshomaru_ seemed ruffled and on-edge. He didn't even react this way to Naraku- that he was aware. So then, who were these Youkai? And why did Sesshomaru seem, for lack of better terms, afraid of them?

His question was soon answered. There was a rumbling of animals running, about five if he were to guess. Coming into view before Sesshomaru was a pouldron-ed dragon youkai, riding, of all things, a Kirin**, flanked by two other reptilian youkai who also mounted some kind of equine dragon. Behind them were two more riders, equipped with green and white flags that bore a large black ring, in the center of which was a pattern of three diamonds with a red dot in the middle. _'those are clan flags- what the hell is going on here?"_ the dragon youkai looked down at Sesshomaru with a very strange expression- a mix of pity and guilt. _'do they know each other?'_ the dragon youkai was maybe a little bigger than Sesshomaru, wearing green and black chinese-like armor with white clothing and two large pouldrons, each vaguely resembling Sesshomaru's, only thinner, with longer spines and a pale ivory color that told Inuyasha they were likely made of bone.

He watched them exchange another unusual look before the mysterious youkai closed his eyes, opening them again only once he had regained his composure. Much to Inuyasha's astonishment and all other's peeking from the door (he didn't want to turn around to find out who) Sesshomaru gave the mounted youkai, who Inuyasha could now see was decorated in almost full battle armor, a semi-shallow bow.

No one had ever seen Sesshomaru _bow_ before anything.

"I come here to present you with this-" the dragon youkai spoke with a voice like amber. He handed Sesshomaru a ornate scroll, which he opened Immediately. "They are orders from your- from _our_ \- high lord, Mahiru-sama. There has been a breach of intelligence to the north- the Ookami have failed us. " His Kirin moved much like a horse, unsettled for a moment. He worked the bright red reigns to settle it again before turning it to the side. "You will have two weeks to report your reply, if you have one. The scroll explains the rest. " Facing the other way now, the dragon youkai spared one pitiful glance at Sesshomaru before leaving, men in tow, just as fast as he came. Inuyasha waited a few moments before exiting, making sure they were gone. Sesshomaru still stood in the same place, reading the scroll's contents. Coming up beside him at a distance, Inuyasha caught an unusual expression on his siblings face. A blend of hurt, (which he questioned and doubted) anger, jadedness and...something else. Something that ran deeper than that. It was a fleeting expression, for it halted as soon as he lifted his eyes from reading the scroll.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin quietly spoke, approching her lord with right caution. "What's happening?"

"..." There was a very long silence. "I am going away for a while, Rin." He said finally, voice quiet. "Where?" it was Inuyasha's turn to ask. "...Away. To the north part of my territory. I have no choice." Rin began to cry. "where are they really sending you?" She asked in a cracked voice that betrayed her knowledge of the answer.

"To war, Rin. To war."

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 **DUN DUN DUN! Okay, so I cut it in half, but it was gonna get way too long otherwise. Lots of action here, huh? Just wait. Things get crazier. We haven't even MET Sesshy's mom. Or discussed the fact that Suigin looks suspiciously like Inu-no-Taisho... Yeah, its all drama for the next few chappies. But on the bright side, theres a sex scene next chapter! woo!**

 **ok, ASTERISKS:**

 ***sixteen levels of hell:** _in case you should find yourself without this info, there are 16 different "hells" in Buddhist mythology, 8 hot, 8 cold. To get through the cycle of rebirth, and be reincarnated, you must pass through every level, each of which caters to a different sin. Holy persons and those serving the Buddha (priests, monks, etc) reincarnate faster because, in theory, they sin less._

 ****Kirin:** _bet you're all thinking "what the hell is that thing?" well, to sum it up, its a kind of dragon, typically used by deities, but also sometimes youkai, that has the general body of a horse, tail and head of a dragon, feet of either a dragon or an ox, and horns/antlers of a deer. My version also have tusks pointing downward like saber teeth. but thats just me._


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the lateness! College is swallowing me whole AND I have lots of stuff to do, so...**

 **Ok so things are definitely going to get crazy in this chapter. Don't say you weren't warned! Oh, and did I forget to mention there's INCEST in this fic? INCEST being generic. True, there is InuxSess, but it seems it runs in the family...so your one and only warning is this: There will be some LIGHT incesty-like things between Sesshy and his mom, (one sided) and there will be mentions of Incest with BOTH parents, (one semi-consensual/dub-con, one also dub-con and full-con) this has its reasons. I probably wont get into that until next chapter, but I'm warning you ahead of time. I don't usually like the parent-offspring thing; however, for the puroses of playing with psychology, the story works out. *sigh* I just know I'm going to lose a follower for it, but I promise if you read far enough along, I will explain everything! It's just going to take a few chapters...**

 **Oh, and I really couldn't help myself- I REALLLLY wanted to bump song lyrics in here, despite the non-song-fic status- why? because I listen to music while I type and because the song litterally defines the next three chapters. It happened this way on accident- I planned the story out, then found the song- and OMG it suits Sesshy PERFECTLY for this fic's purposes. However, I know it's not everyone's cup 'o tea, so I'll courteously post them at the bottom. If you'd like to see them at the top, let moi know.**

 **One final note, cuz I forgot last chappie- I bet ya'll're wondering about that whole "becoming a lord" thing...Well, that probably wont get hit on for another few chapters (neither will inuyasha himself, so don't get yer hopes up just yet...It's coming (no pun intended) but it will be slow, because they have to at least be on brother-terms with each other before they can be on anything remotely close to romantic terms. )**

 **that said,**

 **ONWARDS!**

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 _ **CH VII**_

 _ **Last time:**_ _"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin quietly spoke, approching her lord with right caution. "What's happening?"_

 _"..." There was a very long silence. "I am going away for a while, Rin." He said finally, voice quiet. "Where?" it was Inuyasha's turn to ask. "...Away. To the north part of my territory. I have no choice." Rin began to cry. "where are they really sending you?" She asked in a cracked voice that betrayed her knowledge of the answer._

 _"To war, Rin. To war."_

 _/_

"...To war?" Inuyasha asked dumbly. Sesshomaru merely stood awhile, silent.

"And what's this 'Lord Mahiru'?"

" Not that you are deserving of an answer, but Lord Mahiru is...equivalent to a human Shogun." Sesshomaru clarified, voice flat and scholarly. "He is the lord to which I answer in times of war," Sesshomaru looked upward, to the rising sunlight. "...Which would be now." he remarked after a moment. It had never really occured to Inuyasha that Sesshomaru ever had to answer to anyone in his line of work...He was always so cool and confident, never mind proud and cocksure... he was so... _independent_ that he had a hard time even imagining it...though, he _did_ see the proud youkai bow today, so...

Sesshomaru's fists balled, and he abruptly shifted, turning away from his audience, partly from pride, but mostly out of rage. He'd had enough of being lied to today, and his precious _mother_ was going to get an earful of his mind for not telling him that there'd been an intelligence breach. Surely she had known? Yet, she had _deliberately_ kept that information, _vital_ information, from him.

He wasn't even going to think about Suigin.

And now, on top of the dissentious work he had to deal with with Mother and his infuriating men, now he had to recruit soldiers- which meant he also had to train them. By himself. He let out a low growl.

Why could'nt Father have lived?

"...Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha spoke to him, something akin to concern in his voice, though it was masked well by his gruff countenance.

"I must go." And with that, he set off to find his irksome mother. Or at least he tried to.

"Where? Please, Sesshomaru-sama! Please-" It was Rin. His heart quivered at her distressed and desperate voice. She was hurting. _Because of him._ And that fact always bothered him for some reason. "Rin-" he said, but no more had he said her name than he felt her arms lock around his waist. He struggled to control the impulse to snap at her*, given his already foul diposition at the time, but managed to avoid it. Her sobs did what he supposed they aught, making his chest squeeze slightly. He allowed her the comfort of his contact for a few moments, feeling his anger dissuede a bit. "Sesshomaru-sama, please don't leave! Don't leave me, please! I-I don't want to be..." but her words died in her croaky throat, and she kept sobbing against his chest. "You behave as if I will not return." he remarked. This made her look up at him, red, glassy eyes still foreign to him, for he had not witnessed many human's expression of grief.  
"I must go speak with Mother about this matter. I must then attain an army. After this, I will return. "

"Y-you will?"

"..."

"What about going to war?" She asked innocently. It was, perhaps, her most redeeming quality.

"It will come about when it comes about. I have fought in war before. The challanges are not unknown to me."

"But what of your little soldier dilemma, Lord Sesshomaru?"

The tiny voice had come from Moko-moko, where a cowardly flea presently resided. He hopped out, bouncing from the ground to Inuyasha's shoulder, for fear Sesshomaru would disintegrate him. "You are dreadfully short of hand. How ever will you amass over a hundred soldiers within the next two weeks? There's just not a way! Even if you chose the first hundred youkai you seen, chances are high that only a handful would survive training!" Sesshomaru growled at the flea menacingly. "I have a few in mind who could more than make up for the deficit." Sesshomaru said curtly. "No offense, Sesshomaru-sama, but I don't think now is a good time to toggle with-"

"Myoga!" Sesshomaru barked. The flea had to admit, Sesshomaru was a _lot_ scarrier when he raised his voice. "You may have been Father's advisor, however that does _not_ make you _mine!_ " Sesshomaru growled, low and threatening-like. The flea got the message and quickly sought refuge in Inuyasha's hair. Inuyasha, meanwhile, chose wisely not to include himself in the discussion.

Until a crazy, stupid, probably reckless idea popped into his head. (weren't they all?)

"Wait, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called as Sesshomaru prepared to storm away.

"What about _me_?"

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, noticing the shocked and bewildered expressions of his packmates.

"You need a soldier, right?" Inuyasha stepped up to the figurative plate. "Why not take me?"

"Inuyasha, no-!"

"Actually," Myoga piped up. "That may not be a bad choice for you, Lord Sesshomaru. Inuyasha may not have the same level of experience you do, but he's more experienced than any other new recruit you can find."

"Yeah, _and_ I have Testussaiga!"

"Inuyasha-" His packmates cried in vain, for he would not heed them. Sesshomaru pondered a moment. "While your sword would be an asset, your presence would not be." Sesshomaru jabbed coldly. His audience fell into silence. "You are not made for war. You do not obey orders, and your pathetic sense of morality and 'justice' will invariably get in the way. You would die within days of being put on the frontlines. "

"Oh yeah? well we'll just have to test that won't we? "

"Enough. You are-" just then, Sesshomaru remembered Eerius's prophetic words-

 _-"Your brother- Inuyasha- is not really war-material." Sesshomaru allowed his brow to rise in surprise at the turn of the conversation. "You know this. I know this. Somewhere, Inuyasha is aware of this, as are his friends. However, there is one solid reason, one changeable reason why this is so. " Sesshomaru pricked his ears, at attention. "He is too easily corrupted." Sesshomaru's expression changed to confusion, then increduluity in an instant. Eerius continued before Sesshomaru could question him. "Now, I don't mean that just anyone can corrupt him. Actually, I can't really think of anyone that could breach his mind or guarded heart that deeply- except, as it were, you."_

- _"... it will be you who either mends the broken- or rather absent- bond within himself, or forces him to tear himself in half. Should the latter happen, you will find yourself in a most unfortunate position."_

 _"And where would that be?" Eerius hesitated suddenly before answering._

 _"Dead." -_

Well, damn.

"I'm what, prick?" Sesshomaru sighed. "You are too easily riled. To face an opponent at war is to do so carrying the weight of your and your family's- and your lords- honor on your shoulders. To disgrace yourself there is to face instant death- not by your opponent's hand, but by your comrades. " Inuyasha looked to the ground suddenly. "Could you handle that? Cold you handle being able to kill them as well, be it out of mercy or dignity? Could you really live with yourself, knowing you had the blood of your fallen comrades on your hands?" Sesshomaru interrogated. If Eerius was right, he had to be sure. "Could you live with Youkai who, in some cases, are starved of food, and therefore likely to attempt consuming you? Could you withstand the sting of my poison claws without felling?"

"I've already done that," Inuyasha spat, but the hostility didn't stay in his voice.

"Hn. Imagine that pain ten-fold worse, and you have an idea of what you will be expected to endure under my training rule. There is a reason two out of ten die, and another four will abandon. I do not take training lightly. In fact," Sesshomaru said, humorless smirk forming. "You are probably going to face worse injury and pain in the midsts of training than on the actual battlefield."

"Keh. Like fighting with you hasn't nearly cost me my life. Besides, if training is so damn hard, then it must make battle look like a peice of cake." Sesshomaru closed his eyes, smirking more genuinely at his brother's initiative- not that he expected him to waver. "You would be expected to keep up with the youkai troops. That means you would not eat for more than a week at a time- a significant strain on your half-bred body. And you are confident you would be able to handle it? To live with limited food, limited water, the constant presence of predators and opponents alike, and to be able to perform what duties are actively assigned to you without question or fail?"

"Keh. Done and done."

"Wait, Inuyasha, you aren't seriously doing this?' kagome cried. The plea in her voice made Inuyasha visibly flinch. "Kagome, I..." He breathed for a moment. "I have to. "

"Why? It wasn't you who was called to war-"

"Maybe not. But I can't stay here and do nothing, either. If Sesshomaru loses this territory, we might all be in trouble. " Sesshomaru looked to Inuyasha, admittedly impressed by his knowledge of the situation. "Look, Kagome," Inuyasha walked up to her, putting his hands on her trembling shoulders. "I'm sorry." She looked up at him then, tears swimming. "Please don't do this. Don't leave me- not for good! We're already too far apart..."

"I know," He said softly. "But I can't sit by knowing-" Inuyasha hesitated. "I just can't let this go."

"But you could die!"

"Keh. I could've died fighting Naraku, or even prickly-pants over there, but I didn't. I'm tougher than the lot of you give me credit for, I think." There was a long silence. Inuyasha came closer to her then, embracing her. "I'll come back. " He said softly against her hair. "I promise I'll come back. "

"I...I love you, Inuyasha." she whispered against his chest, making his heart contract with a painful reminder of his current state of heart, already tightly strung heartstrings ringing with a sharp, unpleasant noise in his head. "Me too, Kagome." He whispered back, heart striking a disharmonious chord. He released her after a moment, turning to his sibling. "So, are we leavin' here together, or are you gonna make me find you by myself?" Sesshomaru smirked the slightest bit, unsurprised by his brother's bull-headedness. Seemed the mutt would have to learn the hard way.

"You will have to find me if you wish to leave immediately. I must report to Mother before I can do anything else."

"And what, you don't want your half-bred brother meeting your mom?"

"hn. If you desire death today, you may meet her. She is not a kind or generous woman. She would likely try to eat you. " Sesshomaru stated flatly.

"He's right, Inuyasha!" Myoga piped. " Kimimko-sama is not a tolerant person, and as you are the offspring of her love rival..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. She doesn't like me. So what, then?" Sesshomaru huffed. "What you do is beyond my control here. You aught to enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Once under my command, disobedience will not be tolerated- in fact, should you disobey me or your superiors, you will, unless you miraculously have a reason not to, be executed. " Inuyasha swallowed the lump in the back of his throat, convincing himself somehow that he wasn't as scared or nervous as he should be.

"yeah, yeah, prick. So what, you comin' back, or am I supposed to find this place?"

"Hn. Travel to the western sea through the Raven's heart pass. Go to the point off the cape. A large, old pine grows on the cliff above. I will meet you there in three days time. "

"Keh. I'll be there in two."

"Hn."

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Miroku called. "Are you serious about this? I mean, are you really sure?" There was a pause.

"Yeah. I guess I am."

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Sesshomaru was headed out to his "home", thoughts of Inuyasha being purposed to keep more distracting thoughts, such as the betrayal he had witnessed today, at bay.

But it would appear that today was just not his day.

Sesshomaru took to ground once he seen the other daiyoukai headed his way, bracing himself for a feirce confrontation.

"Sesshomaru-sama," the dragon youkai greeted politely as he alighted upon the ground, not a trace of fear or concern marring his features, despite the very open expression of anger adorning Sesshomaru's face. They stood, roughly facing one another, for a long time.

"Sesshomaru, don't make that face. I was going to tell you-"

"Spare me your lies."

"Technically, I didn't lie to you, I just did not tell you the whole truth-"

"Enough!" Sesshomaru barked, rage rekindling faster than black powder alight. He drew his sword, fully prepared to take out his frustration on the youkai before him. Suigin merely sighed, pulling his usual Akuma-hoho, the blade an unusual shining copper. "No." Sesshomaru said suddenly, venom creeping into his voice. "I want to see the other one. Your fighting blade. Your _real_ fighting sword."

"Perhaps you shall if this fight intensifies. Which I predict it shall."

And thus their fight commenced. No words were neccessary when you let the ringing voice of metal and bone clashing together do the talking for you. Blades danced around in an intense, resounding rythm, mesmerising and disorienting to the passive onlooker. Their movements rapidly increased in pace until they seemed but a blur, save the felled trees and earth that crashed and crumbled around them. The fight lasted for several hours, each refusing to give in to the other, Suigin, as promised, using his other, silver blade. He made no attacks, though, and kept his movements on the defense for the most part- until they neared the end of the fight. Sesshomaru, frustrated and growing increasingly so, went to strike with a youki-charged Bakusaiga, nearly striking his opponent, though fate and his opponents experience made it not to be. Suigin once more pulled a literal fast move, flashing across Sesshomaru's vision before dissapearing altogether. Halting his movements suspiciously, Sesshomaru held his ground, alert. Suddenly, his oppenent re-appeared before him from above, striking with the much lighter silver blade too fast for him to dodge. He blocked with Bakusaiga, only to hear a very concerning _crack_.

 _'No! It can't be!"_

Sesshomaru, distracted for a split second by his thoughts, suddenly found himself falling to the forest floor as his knee's were somehow taken from under him. The result wound up as Suigin mounted atop him, pressing him down with his own blade against his chest, threatening to graze his throat. Growling, Sesshomaru pushed back with all his strength ***** , hearing yet more suspicious _crack_ 's.

"You are going to break your sword." Suigin warned. Sesshomaru used his feet to kick out, gaining enough momentum to throw Suigin with his combined muscle power. But his advantage did not last long, as a sharp nick from Suigin's blade, which seemed to dissappear as it sliced effortlessly through the air, met his wrist, causing him to release Bakusaiga. The sword vanished from his reach before he could grasp it again, and once more his feet were swung from beneath him. And once again, Suigin now pinned him to the forest floor, sword held menacingly close to his throat. "Enough. I am not your enemy." Suigin said, voice firm but intimidatingly quiet. Sesshomaru growled ferally, struggling as Suigin moved position suddenly, stabbing his sword into the ground by Sesshomaru's head and swiftly grabbing his wrists. He pinned them to the ground forcefully, a growl of his own slipping from his chest- a warning to be still. Sesshomaru continued to struggle, humiliated at being pinned, and worse, _mounted_ by this youkai- even _if_ he was technically his superior.

"Geh! Release me!" Sesshomaru demanded. Suigin moved again, using Sesshomaru's kicking to his advantage, and pinning his legs beneath his knees, a gesture he knew all too well was painful- though the daimyo showed no trace of pain in his expression, only unbridled anger and shame. In that order.

"I will not release you until you have calmed." Suigin said, voice smooth and unruffled, contrary to his earlier growl. His opponents lack of emotion made Sesshomaru that much more aware of his own, which pissed him off even more. Still, he forced himself to calm down, taking the red tint from his eyes through sheer force of will.

"See, that's better. But you're still upset. "

"Tsk. Of course I am, you imbecile- you still preside atop me in a most unfit manner." Sesshomaru tried to keep the venom from his voice, to avoid breaking his own illusion of calm, but ultimately failed. "And, what, exactly, is so unfit about this situation?" Seeing he'd misunderstood, Suigin continued hastily. "I don't mean that to be suggestive of superiority. Have a sense of humor, will you?" Suigin's face lit up with a cheshire grin. Sesshomaru remained unamused.

"Well, that got you to change moods at least. " He said, dismounting Sesshomaru carefully, releasing his legs first. He sat beside the daiyoukai, licking the blood from his fingers that had come from Sesshomaru's now healing wrist. Sesshomaru took to a few moments lying on the ground before raising himself, seeming thoughtful. "What is it?" Suigin asked innocently. Sesshomaru merely looked at him strangely for a moment.

 _'Why? What is it about this youkai that makes me feel so...strange? Is it the way he never shows his anger? That he is always wondering what's on my mind? That he-'_ In another startling moment of clarity, Sesshomaru was reminded of just how much this man reminded him of his father. The good father. The happy father.

"You're a fool you know," Sesshomaru remarked.

"I know. But I want to remind you that this 'fool' doesn't want anything from you- not anything I don't think you'd be willing to give. I may work directly beneath Mahiru-sama ****** , but that does not mean I seek to take anything from you- or that I have the power to."

"Hn. On the contrary- you are the first youkai since my father's days to have defeated me." As painful as it was to admit, Suigin had technically won that fight, though whether that was intentional on Sesshomaru's part he'd never really admit. "You are plenty powerful enough to take what is mine and everything that goes with it- you would have to kill me first, though," Sesshomaru said, eyes closing in his usual manner. A humorless chuckle was interupted by a hand on is shoulder far too casually for his liking. About to brush it aside with a voice like stinging wire, he opened his eyes to find a pair of far too expressive blue eyes looking back at him. The look was hard to place, but it seemed almost pleading. "I know it's hard for you to understand...but I couldn't kill you if I wanted to." Suigin looked to the ground then, eyes as soft and sad as his voice. "I've been alone most my life, and I think you have been too," Sesshomaru's eyes widened at this. " So..." Suigin paused, finding the words.

"I...understand." Sesshomaru said quietly. Suigin looked back up to him, eyes meeting in a bizarre way. Sesshomaru looked away then. "I...respect, you." He admitted quietly, to himself more than anyone. His gaze rested in his companion's lap, but was tentatively brought back up by a far-too gentle hand guiding his jaw. Once more, Suigin brought their cheeks level, this time allowing them to touch after a few moments. The gesture was highly intimate, to the canine especially, but Sesshomaru allowed it. They stayed in that position, faces barely touching, for what felt like hours, but it was but a few minutes. Drawing away from one another simultaneously, they did not have to speak to know what the other wanted. Sesshomaru was, for this reason, unsurprised when delicate-feeling lips pressed against his. Though the gesture had a different kind of context for dog-to-dog relations, he had come to understand over time that it had different contexts for different species. In this case he could only assume.

Suigin's hands, cool and almost embarrassingly gentle, caressed his neck and chest, claws tugging ever so slightly at the hem of his kimono ******* , a fairly big jump if Sesshomaru were to be the judge of it. Which he was.

"Hn."

"Apologies if it seems too forward. But we both don't have much time to dwell here. "

"That is true. I have never been a patient lover anyhow."

"I figured as much," Suigin said with a quip of soft laughter.

Undressing was a made a sensual affair even in the midst of a rushing speed, Suigin carefully removing layers of clothing without tearing them (though he needn't fear, for Sesshomarus garments were much hardier than anyone gave their regal appearance credit for) Sesshomaru did not possess the same desire for delicacy and all but tore the dragon's armor from him.

"You weren't kidding about being impatient." Suigin chuckled. He helped Sesshomaru undress himself, both leaving hakama**** on for the time. Suigin once more kissed his companion, starting slow, but gradually increasing pace and pressure once he got a response. He quickly let his hand cradle Sesshomaru's head, hair tangling through his fingers in the best way. He offered a light scratch with his claws, an action that garnered him an immediate response. _'typical dog...'_

Sesshomaru jumped when another hand brushed his inner thigh, the action eliciting a bodily response stronger than he'd like to admit. They pulled away but for a moment before Suigin went for the side of his neck. He kissed it gently, offering a nip or two that earned him a soft sigh. Sesshomaru moved his own hands over his partner's pale bluish chest, mirroring his earlier movement. Sesshomaru was not unfamiliar with these affairs, however, he was admittedly unused to his partner taking the lead from him so readily. It was a trife embarrassing, but a refreshing change nonetheless. Ordinarily when such drives tugged at him, he found a partner willing, did the deed, and was on his way without any qualm or hesitation. This, however- there was something different here.

"Do I have permission?" Suigin requested, lips barely leaving his pale neck to favor the words before returning, giving a harsh nip in the process. He ran his hand again along Sesshomaru's inner thigh, alluding to the subject of his request.

"At this point there's no sense in asking." Sesshomaru replied simply. He felt Suigin grin against his skin before pressing his hand firmly against his lengthening member. Instinctively he thrust lightly against the hand, feeling his member slip farther from it's sheathe^. Suigin replied to his unasked request for further contact, forming his fingers carefully around the stiff flesh. He let Sesshomaru more or less do the rest as he rocked his hips to and fro, mock-thrusting in order to gain friction. He felt his member lenghten from it's sheathe almost immediately, and had the sudden urge to remove his obtrusive hakama.

Standing abruptly, he did just that, Suigin not looking the least surprised by the move. Suigin stood as well, drawing Sesshomaru to him with a quick grab at his waist that resulted in a growl, though it was more bluff than rebuff. "The question is now, friend, is how we go about this. Naturally you can assume how I might prefer it." Suigin whispered against his ear, licking it lightly- which of course, made Sesshomaru hum. "Honestly, I think I deserve it for pinning the mightly Sesshomaru to the ground." This earned him a more genuine growl, but it was half-hearted. Thinking for a moment, with his member quickly retracting from the chill outside, he made his decision.

Going down to the ground, he positioned himself on all fours to the best of his ability. Suigin restrained a chuckle at how ridiculous this scenario sounded in his head.

"Know this, Suigin," Sesshomaru said flatly. "This will be the first time since my father's days I have allowed this kind of gesture. Should you betray my trust, I will not hesitate to have you erased." His tone was serious, the threat even more so. However, Suigin brushed the words aside. He had no intentions of betraying his new "friend".

"I don't doubt it." He said, a tone of mirth about him. He followed Sesshomaru down, then, come up from behind the daiyoukai, who growled out of habit when the dragon grasped his hips. "But I am grateful for the gift. Your display of trust is..."

"Foolish, likely. But it can not be helped."

Suigin laughed again, pulling Sesshomaru back toward him. He still had his Hakama on, and kept them that way as he rubbed against his "lover"s backside testingly. He got growled at, but Sesshomaru made no move to stop him. Aware that the gesture he was performing had a different meaning to his companion, he suddenly felt highly honored at his tolerance^. Figuring play was probably not the best idea, given the time crunch, he instead carefully mounted himself over Sesshomaru, who again growled non-menacingly, reaching under him to grasp his member again. Almost immediately, Sesshomaru thrust into it, length spilling into his hand as it revealed itself from its sheathe. After a few sharp thrusts he felt the "knot" as it were, slip into his hand, and grasped much more tightly, earning the closest thing to a vocal noise of pleasure he thought he'd get from the daiyoukai. Well, until he released it, and let his hands slip beneath it, where he again grasped tight. _That_ made the daiyoukai beneath him squirm slightly, and elicit a breathy whine. He suddenly began thrusting again, and Suigun knew if they kept going as they were Sesshomaru was going to finish long before he did.

Pulling his hand away, he was not surprised when Sesshomaru tried to look back at him with an impatient expression. He quickly removed his Hakama, kneeling behind his lover, who once more growled at him, even jerking forward to protect his rear.  
"I'm no dog, Sesshomaru. I couldn't mark you if I wanted to." He reassured, carefully taking his hips back in hand. He stroked up and down Sesshomaru's back soothingly, continuing the action as he removed one hand to touch the enterence his own member sought. He pressed in carefully, noting to himself that the deeper he seemed to go, the more his companion squirmed. Finally grasping his own member after pulling away, he gently placed the head at his partner's entrance.

He managed to enter surprisingly smoothly, though he still tried to go slow. He waited for a moment before feeling his partner rock back on him as a signal to move. He kept his thrusts smooth and easy at first, increasing in pace once he felt it was safe to. He felt his partner arch and bow his back, and figured he was missing "the spot". After a little adjustment, he suddenly felt a stiffness from his partner below, which then became a more relaxed, if excited, frame. Keeping at that apparently effective angle, he increased his pace more, making his partner shudder at least once from the resulting aussage.

"...H-hard..." Surprised that Sesshomaru was making any sound at all, (except the soft sighs he frequently did in this encounter) he listened. "Geh...harder..." Smiling at the request, he did as told, gripping his hips tightly and bringing them back to him with each forward thrust. Deciding a little variety couldn't hurt, he bent forward, body covering Sesshomaru from the back, the act itself making him arch a bit. Pulling Sesshomaru's hips toward his own, he thrust faster, and therefore harder, biting teasingly at his nape. These combined actions earned him a very enticing groan, which faded into a whine-like sound. He felt himself coming closer to the end, and reached beneath his partner to grasp his member again. Repeating his actions from earlier, he squeezed around the very base, and in no time his partner was finishing upon the forest floor, leaving him to thrust a few more times in quick succession to finish himself, pulling out just before so as not to leave too obvious a scent-mark on his partner.

They pulled away from one another, both promptly seating themselves on the forest floor, Sesshomaru heedless of the mess adorning the back of his legs. He'd clean it up later.

"Well...that was...interesting." Suigin noted. Sesshomaru made no reply, merely sitting, lightly panting. After a moment to catch their breath and come down from the high, Sesshomaru stood abruptly.

"Where are you going?"

"I have other business yet to attend to, if I recall- as do you."

"That's true...but still," Suigin shrugged. "Oh well. I guess it can't be helped." They both dressed themselves, Sesshomaru borrowing a cloth Suigin threw at him to clean the mess from himself. He'd have to remember to stop by a spring somewhere before visiting his mother. He did not especially care to have _that_ conversation. "Before you go, Sesshomaru," Suigin said, halting his partner as he finished dressing and retreived his- now cracked- sword. _'I'll have to visit Tokijin too, damnit. He's the only smith that knows how to fix these damn swords.'_

"Yes, Suigin?"

"I just...want you to know that...that if you ever need me, for anyhting...you know how to contact me." Sesshomaru seemed to ponder his words a moment.

"Thank you," He settled with at last, unsure of any other way to accept his offer.

After they exchanged goodbyes, they parted ways, each to attend to thier duties. Sesshomaru wandered around for a while, rather than going straight to his mother's palace, the wretched place. It wasn't wretched so much that it was inadequate, quite the opposite, but because it held once dear memories and especially bad ones alike. _'I remember the day clearly..._

 _"Ha-ha? Mother? Mother!" Sesshomaru cried as he tripped over stones and leaves on the forest floor. She was walking too fast for his newly aquired human form to keep up with- why did humans have to have just two legs anyway?!_

 _"Keep up. We can not stay here long."_

 _"But why? Where are we going?"_

 _"...away, love, away."_

 _"But-"_

 _"No more talk. We have to keep moving." The finality in her tone shut him up. He followed her through the forest on tiny feet until the soil beneath them turned to sand. "Mother? Why are we at the sea?"_

 _She waited a while before answering him. "We are going home, Sesshomaru. We are going home..."_

Tsk. Some 'home' that had turned out to be.

He remembered meeting his father for the first time that day- he was intimidating enough that Sesshomaru had nearly wet himself like the pup he was. But ultimately, he was kind- far kinder than his mother was.

 _'that woman...'_ Sesshomaru's fists clenched. She had stayed with them, easing his transition into the house for a while.

But then she _left._

His father and himself both did not understand her reasons very well- His father had told him she was sick, and that she needed to see a special doctor. He'd had no idea what he had meant at the time, and just accepted things as they were, no matter how upset he became at his mother's abandonment. Later, he began to have nightmares- memories of an attack he had experienced when young...

Memories of a monster tearing him apart.

It had been an accident, so he'd been told. A nasty wolf youkai had attacked them, aiming to eat him- and it nearly succeeded. His mother tried to defend him, but something happened, and he was left on his own against a youkai six times his size. He wound up badly wounded, and his mother-

She left him to die.

At least, she left for a few days, leaving her young, helpless son to bleed on the forest floor, wondering where she had gone, wondering if he was going to die. It was the one thing her memory charm, later inflicted by Eerius himself, could not completely erase. The fear. The panic. The utter helplessness.

It wasn't a wonder he had a panic attack the first time he'd done real hand-to-hand training with his father. Touga had jabbed him with his claws just beneath the shoulder on his side, sternly reminding him to keep that area secure. The blow landed with more force than intended, forcing him into the ground. Dazed, dizzy and breathless, he felt an unexpected panic consume him, driving him to an animalistic madness as he watched Father walk away...

Removing that train of thought from his mind, Sesshomaru hunted for a spring, ideally desiring hot water for his bath, but it seemed the river he came upon would have to suffice- even if its edges were gradually begining to freeze in the night air. The sky was clear, Sesshomaru's slow, steady breaths creating the barest fog with every exhale. He looked again to the stars, eyes scanning them for shapes his mind sometimes made out of the random dots. Finding once more that they, like he, had not changed, he instead looked to the nearly half moon, wondering idly if the rabbit^^ was happy up there, a permanent resident of the pale orb. Though he'd never admit it, he was always jealous of the rabbit whenever his father told him that story. His own sacrifices had never yeilded the glory that the rabbit now posessed as an emblem of the moon, just barely visible in the half-moons light. After a while, he stopped trying. What sense was there in sticking out your neck for someone else if you were never recognized for it?

Sesshomaru bathed in the frigid water, waiting until dawns light to move to the sea shore, to see his mother...

 _ **Memories fade into the silence,**_

 _ **Haunting me tonight,**_

 _ **With hope's last breath I take this moment in-**_

 _ **It will be the last,**_

 _ **When morning breaks, and sunlight takes the pain away...**_

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 **Ok, long chapter. I promise that the Suigin** x **Sesshomaru thing will make sense eventually...it's critical to the plot at this point, sorry!**

 **Now, as for the song...well. You will have to wait to see what that is. (mwahaha)**

 **ASTERISKS!:**

 ***Strength:** _I have to point this out to give the story texture. I am perfectly aware how physically strong Sesshomaru is- strong enough to fully restrain Inuyasha, who can crush freaking boulders for crying out loud. The fact Suigin is strong enough to restrain_ _ **him**_ _is testament to his power, which, yes, exceeds Sesshomaru's...by a mile. You'll understand later..._

 ****Working beneath Mahiru:** _Some Shogun's have "favorite" Daimyo that they keep cose to their domain...Suigin is one of these, and though he shares the same political title, he is higher up in the social heirarchy that Sesshomaru..._

 *****Kimono:**

 **Japanese dress:** _I have to point this out for my fellow fanfictioners- Japanese dress of this sort is indeed complicated, but the "shirt" they wear with Hakama (pants) are_ _ **kimonos.**_ _The Jacket they wear over said kimono is a_ _ **haori.**_

 ******Hakama:** _I know this is not the right term for the kind of pants they wear, but I've forgotten thier name..._

 **^Sheathe:** _Ok, so in case you forgot-_ _ **Sesshomaru is a DOG.**_ _Since human form is basically an illusion, I can only guess that anything they (youkai in general) did not know the appearance of, they could not perfectly imitate. Genetalia included._

 **^Tolerance(cuz I forgot the extra symbol):** _K, so again, He's a dog. Dogs assert dominance by humping each other, and by "marking" other dogs with their scent using a gland near the base of their penis (near the knot, as it were) Suigin, of course, lacks these glands, but instinct doesn't know that, which is why Sesshomaru tries to shield his rear._

 **^^ Rabbit:** _Ok, all I can say here is look up "the rabbit in the moon" story from Japanese myth..._

 **As usual, Review or PM me for more! Also, suggestions are always welcome! I can't promise I will incorporate all of them into this fic, but if you have any ideas I'd be happy to have them! There are some concrete elements of the future plot that can not be altered, but the rest is pretty much improv. So feel free to suggest away! :0 Until next time- sayonara!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Again I have to apologize for the lateness, as finals are fast approaching me. Still-**

 **Hopefully this doesn't get too confusing for you...This chapter was hard to glue together quite right, Considering that I am terrible at writing Inuyasha's character. (though I should note that he is a bit more mature in this fic on purpose...If you can fight Naraku plus a bunch of other baddies, fall in love, and now fall out of love and back into it again without gaining some sort of integrity, you have issues) Now, on with the show!**

 **WARNING: in case you missed it last time, there will be vague allusions to INCEST in this chapter...If that offends you, I'm really not sure why you're still here, but you are welcome to leave as you wish if it does for some reason.**

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 **CH VII**

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 _ **Last time:**_ _Removing that train of thought from his mind, Sesshomaru hunted for a spring, ideally desiring hot water for his bath, but it seemed the river he came upon would have to suffice- even if its edges were gradually begining to freeze in the night air. The sky was clear, Sesshomaru's slow, steady breaths creating the barest fog with every exhale. He looked again to the stars, eyes scanning them for shapes his mind sometimes made out of the random dots. Finding once more that they, like he, had not changed, he instead looked to the nearly half moon, wondering idly if the rabbit^^ was happy up there, a permanent resident of the pale orb. Though he'd never admit it, he was always jealous of the rabbit whenever his father told him that story. His own sacrifices had never yeilded the glory that the rabbit now posessed as an emblem of the moon, just barely visible in the half-moons light. After a while, he stopped trying. What sense was there in sticking out your neck for someone else if you were never recognized for it?_

 _Sesshomaru bathed in the frigid water, waiting until dawns light to move to the sea shore, to see his mother..._

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"There's nothing I can say, Sesshomaru. I was under the impression you were preoccupied, and thus did not need to be notified right away."

"Well, clearly Mahiru-sama did not share your opinion, as he sent messengers of his own preffered staff to inform me in your absence."

"And would you rather I have seen to you the message myself? I had no messengers on staff at the time- the only way you'd of heard it from me is if I'd of visited you myself- I was merely being courteous. I know how protective you are of that little human girl." Sesshomaru could not repress a quiet growl. He loathed this woman's lilting, bittersweet voice about as much as he loathed the fact that he was, unfortunately, trapped by her at the moment within his private chamber, what with her standing obstructively in the doorway. "No matter. The conflict is still in need of attention. So, how do you wish to go about this?"

"Hn," Sesshomaru replied. "For now, we ignore it. There are more pressing matters to attend."

"Oh? Such as?"

"My lack of forces. I have considered several candidates- including one, requested by Myoga." If there was ever a time to tell her, it was now. Hiding things from his mother was a difficult task, anyhow- thus he had learned to be as transparent as his pride would allow in these situations in order to reduce the amount of leverage she could weild over his head.

"Oh? and whom might that be?" She seemed genuinely curious- though he did not relish the thought of her response to that question. He would likely have to tread lightly regarding the subject if Inuyasha was to have any chance at surviving long enough to prove himself useful or not- and if he turned out to be more not than so; well, that was a different matter for a later time.

"Inuyasha," He said simply, watching her face from the edge of his vision carefully, judging her reaction. As predicted, it did not change pleasantly. "Oh?" She smirked almost bitterly. "I never took the two of you to be on such friendly terms."

"Much has changed since the demise of Naraku. Besides, he may prove useful in one sort or the next- even if ultimately he winds up being little more than bait for the bellies of our nemesis, he still has some purpose, yes?" Sesshomaru replied with an answer he thought might satisfy her expression. True enough, she smiled almost wickedly at his words, which remained as stoic as his face, betraying nothing. Or so he hoped.

"That is true." She replied once she regained her calm, placid composure. Like her son's, this image was little more than a facade. Only hers was even more deceptive, for she witheld much more than her son could ever hope to. With age came practice, after all, and being still three hundred and fifty years his elder, while not quite as much as her ancestors probably would have hoped for, she held that advantage quite auspiciously above his crown.

"And? What others have you recruited?"

"A few allies of Father's, as well as some of your own."

"Oh? And do you, Sesshomaru, lack any such allies? Besides your half sibling and Jaken, obviously." Sesshomaru refused to react to the way she included Inuyasha as if mockingly. Sesshomaru pondered a moment, recalling that Suigin had referred to them as "allies" (more or less as he remembered) and that while Inuyasha himself had not identified them as such, his mother may very well be correct about the hanyou's assumption that they were, indeed, allied. He supposed he could not totally refute that point, being as they had not seriously fought in years, as much because Sesshomaru had not felt the need to (he had real enemies to exert his energy on, and these ones were easier to kill and walk away from- not that he supposed he could not walk away from his brother's corpse, but rather that his human companions would create unneccessary hastle in doing so). After thinking about it a minute longer and bringing back into his memory the negotiation he had made with his half sibling, carefully replied, "I have few allies. I do not need them, nor have I ever."

"Well, you need them now, do you not? To bring your half-sibling Inuyasha into this...would his life not be in perpetual jeopardy before he ever even got to the battlefield? You can not expect me to believe you would willingly defend someone who was, per your words, little more than a scrap of meat with which to taunt the enemy?"

"Inuyasha is not as weak as you may believe him to be. He is not as strong as either you or I, but Tetsusaiga has given him the strength with which to defeat a foe such as Naraku- with this Sesshomaru's assistance, of course." Sesshomaru watched his mother's reaction, finding none so far. She then closed her eyes, a knowing smirk lighting her pale, pretty face. "So that's what this is about, is it? Tetsusaiga, the sword you so longed for- I thought you had placed that affair behind you, love?"

"I have. I desire not the Tetsusaiga's power for myself, for I am yet unable to weild it-not fully- however, Inuyasha can."

"Ah. So he is a tool in both ways? A tempting scrap of meat with teeth of his own...How interesting. You never fail to entertain me, Sesshomaru." She drawed on his name, stepping closer to him. He resisted the urge to growl at her, to warn her away from him, because he knew too well that she was not the kind of woman to take _any_ sort of scorn lightly- even if it was meant as such, not that it ever was from this Sesshomaru. She stepped within his personal space, upon which he could resist no longer, from his throat escaping a soft but meaningful growl, his eyes closed against her disregard for his comfort. It was always this way.

"You needn't be so confrontational, _Sesshomaru._ We are relatives- we are meant to be comfortable within the closeness of the other, are we not?" He hated her. Anger boiled up within him in an instant, but he daren't let it surface. He resisted the urge to cringe away from her touch as she casually brushed her dainty hand across his breastplate, knowing she would immediately identify such an action as submission, which was a position he would _not_ allow her to have over him, not like this. Not again. Never again.

She sighed after a moment, seeing that her advances would get her nowhere today, and backed up. There were other times in which she could attempt what she may. Better times, perhaps. "As you were, then. I have preparations of my own to make."

"You accepted the Bear King's invitation?"

"Could I refuse? We are on the brink of war. We need allies, and considering our caln's apparent curse for having our own betray us, I figure the more we can make, the more we can keep. This is logical, no?" Oh how he hated her. Her sarcasm, her bitterness, her hollowness, her everything. But he could not very well kill her outright, nor could he refute her reasoning. Not that he had not the power or skill with which to do so, but killing his mother would rouse a lot of unwanted suspicion among enemy and ally alike. And as his mother had stated, their clan had a rather unfortunate reputation for keeping their loyalties to their allies longer than their allies kept their loyalties to them. Such was the curse of being Inu-youkai, he surmised.

"I see." Was all he could offer in reply. "I have my own business to attend anyway."

Thusly they parted ways, his mother going off to make her preparations, and Sesshomaru waiting for a while after to exit his chamber and attend to the matter of finding an adequate messenger. He had a few allies to gather.

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Inuyasha was accustomed to travelling alone. He did so often enough, even with his "pack" around. If there was one thing Inuyasha was not, it was the kind of person who liked having company all the time. He was a "hardcore introvert" as Kagome said. He didn't like keeping a crowd, and needed time to himself. A lot of time to himself. Really, it was only because that's the way he'd grown up. His mother was really the only person he ever got to know, and the only one besides Kagome to ever really know him. Even Kikyo had'nt seen as many faces as Kagome, though that was largely because Kagome was the only one between them who really looked, who really tried.

Pushing that still aching thought aside, he brought himself once again to wonder about Myoga's words about Sesshomaru. He'd been wondering about them for a long time now, but there were still things he was curious about. _"She was a young, brand new mother- which is why she only had one pup, so I think. " Myoga explained. "She...didn't know how to take care of Sesshomaru, I don't think, not really...Part of me, the part that resents her, thinks she may not have wanted to." ..._

 _"You will have to find me if you wish to leave immediately. I must report to Mother before I can do anything else."_

What sort of relationship did Sesshomaru have with his mom? There'd been something he could sense beneath the way he'd referred to her, but that didn't intrigue him half as much as the relationship Sesshomaru had had to his own mother.

"... _it wasn't too long after this rebellion incident that Inu-no-Taisho met your mother, Izayoi, giving Sesshomaru a whole other reason to be both bitter and jealous."_

 _"Jealous?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat awed._

Yes, that most intriguing concept. Jealousy. Had Sesshomaru really been jealous of his mom? Had she really tried -and failed- to make friends with him? Did he ever reciprocate her desires?

Most likely not.

He chose to, rather than rack his brain with questions he couldn't answer, couldn't exactly _ask_ , either, to consider once more his real motives for choosing to fight with Sesshomaru. Did he want to go to war? Hell no. Did he want to tear the final seam in he and Kagome's relationship? (cue pang of heartstring being violently plucked) No. Did he want to leave Miroku standing there, looking all the world like he'd been stranded, looking at him with glassy, worried eyes? (cue resounding dischord from said heartstring) No. But there was something that had been set off in that moment of (probably poor) decision making, a spark of...something. Like some invisible hand had slapped the thought accross his forehead and given him an insane urge to follow through...it'd been impulse, really. A crazy, stupid, utterly _insane_ impulse. Inuyasha was frequently accused of having a death wish, but now he was seriously considering whether or not that was true. But it didn't matter. He didn't regret his choice. (...yet) He just felt like he _needed_ this somehow. Like he needed to fight. He needed to feel the rush, needed to feel death's breath fan accross his face...

No. It wasn't just that, and he knew it. That dream hadn't gone away...actually, It'd only been getting worse. If worse could be defined as becoming increasingly vivid. Which, when you knew one hundred percent that it was a guy, fucking you up the rear, when, as far as you knew, you'd never _been_ fucked up the ass, was, y'know, kind of disturbing. Arousing, maybe, but disturbing. What made it more disturbing was the fact that now this male figure had hair- of a silvery sort. And a body- of a lithe, pale sort. And a very blurry face with what Inuyasha could only guess were a pair of rather intense eyes.

He shook his head of that thought before it could manifest into something he didn't want to deal with right now. He _needed_ this, needed _something._ Something he just had a hunch he could only get out of his brother (not _that,_ mind you). What, he hadn't a clue. But whatever it was, it was becoming manifested in his dreams, and he did not like it one bit. He absolutely refused to believe that that mysterious figure's likeness to his brother was from sexual attraction to the prick. Though, he mentally admitted with a very physical blush, he _had_ inadvertently given him a stiffie, but that was purely coincidental. It happened sometimes when he got excited, or angry, and in that moment he'd been plenty angry. So that solved that.

Not that it explained the _sensation,_ but he'd rather not think about that.

No, it had to be something else that drove his mind to paint a rather absurd picture like _that_ in his dreams. He'd talked to Miroku about it. (well, not about Sesshomaru's apparent involvement)The monk hadn't had much to say besides the fact that sometimes "sex" didn't mean sex. Like that made sense. What the hell else was it supposed to mean?

Inuyasha paused his thoughts as the smell of dinner wafted by his nose. There was a hare scrambling up the hillside to his right, he realised, ears pricked to listen to it's crunching footsteps so as he might determine the direction it was facing. Toward him meant sneaking up on it would be a pain in the ass, and he'd probably have to chase it down. Not neccessarily worth the little amount of food it would give him. A hare was barely a snack. But if it faced away from him, he had a chance, so long as the wind stayed in his favor, to catch the speedy creature. Not a filling meal, that's for sure, but something to tide him over for the time being.

He approached stealthily, knowing even at this distance a hare could hear him well enough if he didn't tread very lightly. He spotted it, determining with his ears as much as his eyes that it faced away from him. Excellent. He crept, slinking down on all fours, keeping his belly as low as possible to the ground without rustling leaves. His clothes weren't much for camoflage*, but they were surprisingly good at not catching on branches or making noise as the fabric rubbed against itself. He crept closer and closer yet. At a distance of about fifty human paces**, way closer than he thought he'd get, the hare's ears pricked in his direction. He'd been spotted. The hare bolted as Inuyasha sprang, using all fours to the best of his ability, increasing his stride to keep pace with the hare. He came within inches of nicking it with his claws when- poof! It vanished into the earth with a cloud of debris, kicking dirt behind it to keep him out. Desperate and now frustrated, Inuyasha dug. And dug. And dug.

Damn that hare!

But not all was lost, as it were. Sniffing the air, Inuyasha could smell a deer carcass nearby. It was a fresh kill, that much he could tell, but he daren't approach it lightly. Whatever killed it was still probably there, and while he was plenty ready for a fight, food came first- and he was getting hungry. He'd been traveling the last two days to his destination through the pass, in which he presently was, without food. The pass had turned out to be more like a maze, with the road twisting this way and that- so he'd decided to forgo the path altogether. And now he was admittedly lost and growing increasingly hungry as night fell.

He decided the carcass was worth checking out- hungry hanyou couldn't afford to be choosy. It certainly was not the first time he'd picked from a carcass. Easy food was easy food, and between having a deadline to meet, and an empty stomach, he decided it was a better bet to just pick at the remains and eat quickly than waste time and energy hunting. Tactically, scavanging was the better alternative, even if it made him feel "dirty".

The carcass was devoid of obvious predators, but that didn't mean they weren't waiting in the wings. Still, his rumbling stomach wasn't going to fill itself. A few ravens and crows picked at it, and there was even a hawk busily gouging at its face, but for the most part it seemed abandoned. The smell of bear hit his nose, and he knew in all likelihood that whatever bear had killed it didn't plan on eating much of it- most of the carcass was intact, excepting a few organs and part of the flank. The softer meats on the rump were also gone. Must have been a toothache.

Inuyasha crept to the carcass, lying beneath a tree, and gave it a once over just to be sure it wasn't abandoned due to sickness or some other factor. Whereupon he found nothing, he promptly gouged his fingers into its flesh, tearing the thick hide with his claws. It had already bled out from its wounds, including a deep cut to the neck, so there was a lot less mess to deal with there. Removing the hide from the shoulder area, he tore into the meat, determined to eat quickly so that he did not get caught by some other youkai. He was more than well equipped to handle most scavangers, but the caution was ingrained into him from years of living like this, of scavanging, of fighting to survive.

Raw meat did not deter him in the slightest, even if Kagome and his other human companions found it to be repulsive, Inuyasha just didn't care. He'd ate it his entire life, even when his mother was still with him; the butcher in the village may have been being cruel or mocking, but Inuyasha still ate all the scraps that were thrown at him. Food was a luxury, and had been his entire life- and Kagome wondered why he always growled at Shippo whenever he tried to make a grab for Inuyasha's food. Or really anyone grabbed at his food. (Even if it wasn't technically always his. ) Kagome'd called it..."food aggression"?

He ate away, stuffing his face with as much as he could cram down the hatch in one go. That was the other thing his human friends wouldn't let him do- litterally "wolf down" his food. They said it wasn't polite, but he couldn't help himself. Years of living as a feral child had taught him to eat as much as you could as fast as you could, especially with meat like this, because there was always, _always_ another youkai or animal waiting to pirate your (sometimes) hard earned meal off of you for nothing.

And Kagome wonders why he's "food aggressive". She didn't know squat.

He supposed Sesshomaru didn't either...but thinking back on Myoga's words, maybe that wasn't totally true. He was confident Sesshomaru had never been literally starving, but he'd had to pretty much raise himself, so maybe, just maybe, he knew a thing or two about what hunger felt like. He tossed the thought into the corner of his mind, focusing on stuffing his face with vennison. He swatted at a raven that began pecking at his hair, trying to bully him away from the meat. He growled at it when it persisted.

A sudden noise from behind him alerted him to the presence of another creature, this one larger. He whirled around to find a rather disheveled wolf pacing back and forth at some distance behind him. The wolf was female, he could tell, and seemed to be alone, he surmised as he scanned the immediate area for others. A wolf pack was nothing to him, really, but frankly he was feeling lazy after his long day of being lost. Sniffing and listening closely, he determined she was indeed alone. Not that he'd really needed the affirmation- she was clearly sick or hurt, if her too-thin body and unkept fur were any indications. As far as he knew, wolves didn't let sick pack members hunt, especially not so forwardly. Not that this was really hunting, being as the deer was dead, but still...

He growled at her, and was satisfied when she backed away from him, lowering her gaze submissively. She resumed pacing back and forth, patiently waiting for him to leave so she could have her share. She knew better, in her state, than to pick a fight with him. Part of Inuyasha had to respect that, but mostly he felt his ego inflate. It popped rather abruptly, though, when the she-wolf whined at him pathetically. Sometimes, he really hated the fact he was raised by a human woman.

"There," he said, tossing a piece carelessly behind him. A part of him was again reminded of the time he took scraps from the butcher, but he ignored the old, faded memory. He turned to watch her snap it up and swallow the piece whole, and could not help but notice a strange smell coming off her. She was and old wolf, and had become sick with something or the other. His mind conjured an image of her pack carelessly leaving the old, sick wolf behind, and he could not help but pity her, thin as she was.

"You can have the rest. I'm plenty full anyways." He commented offhand, shaking his mane of hair distractedly. It was a doggish habit he hadn't been able to break.***She nodded her head excitedly, thanking him for the meal, even if he hadn't really intended it for her.

"Don't mention it," He replied, moving to take his leave. He was stopped by a inquisitive whine. Turning to face her, she bowed her head before nodding it again, making a sound that sounded vaguely like a question. "Inuyasha. That's my name." Seeming to have answered her question, he once more turned to leave, this time walking away without interruption.

 _'Kami I hate it when that happens. Maybe Sesshomaru had a point when he said I was too kind for war...'_ Inuyasha brushed the thought aside. Being nice to a stranger who obviously was down on their luck was different from being nice to your enemies. There was a huge distinction there, as far as he was aware, so it was okay...right?

 _'Not all of us can be frigid pricks, sorry'_ Inuyasha thought snidely. _'Some of us actually gotta have a heart for the little guys'_ A deep anger tried clawing its way to the surface, but only got so far before Inuyasha took a breath and _whooshed_ the feeling from his lungs. There was no Hchange that. He was Hanyou. A half-youkai. From birth, he was detined to lead a half-life. That's what he'd been told from the time he was able to understand words. He'd watched his mother weep for thier fate, and never really understood why. Not until he was a lot older, anyway. Crying about your problems did nothing to fix them, and being angry about it was just as bad.

 _'Maybe that's why Sesshomaru is so cold. He doesn't want his feelings to stop him from solving his problems and getting shit done.'_ Seemed resonable enough, he surmised, based on what he'd been told. _'But sometimes you gotta feel. Cuz when you don't...'_ Inuyasha's eyes widened a bit in realization. He felt like he had an epiphany, suddenly gaining a new sort of understanding for his estranged half-sibling.

 _'Cuz when you don't feel, you end up alone.'_

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Sesshomaru flew through the chill night air, coming to rest in an old tree which stood alone in the edge of a cliff. From the vantage point one could easily see the sea just over the ridge of loose forest he'd just crossed. Inuyasha was supposed to meet him here. It had been three days, and still the hanyou was nowhere to be found. He'd come yesterday, half hoping he would keep up on his word and arrive a day early, but that didn't happen. And once more, his half sibling did not show. _'I rather expected he would have a difficult time with the terrain.'_ Sesshomaru thought, settling down more comfortably in the tree. He would wait for his brother to show himself until dawn, just like last night. The chill night air helped him to think clearer, and with everything going on, he certainly had much to think of. Besides, waiting for Inuyasha to show up was a good excuse for him to get away from his oppressive duties for a while.

 _Oppressive_. Indeed, his duties were certainly becoming a hasstle. Too much to do, not enough time, or enough people, to do it. He had to organize recruiting regiments, whip what little military forces he possessed at the time into order so that they could assist him with organizing the rest of that mess, (there had to be discussions of what sort of character would do best in what sort of position for this war, as every war was unique in its requirements, especially those of the "resolve" sort dependent on the nature of their foe, which was ambiguous at best right now) Order messengers to find other forces to be gathered from his father's days, if they would still assist his cold, distant son, _and_ carefully dance around his mother's absence, which, grateful as he was for it, especially just as Inuyasha was to be arriving, left a gaping hole in the necessary workload for the manor. Mother usually arranged all of the housekeeping and meal preparations, organized all the house servants and commanded them as such. However, in her absence, _he_ was left in charge of all of these duties as well, on top of which he was expected to survey relayed information from a dispatched group of Shinobi**** sent to investigate his aparent nemesis.

Who was this nemesis? That was a good question. One Sesshomaru shamefully could not answer very accurately. This foe was very experienced, to say the least, and had a knack of seeing through and consequently obliterating any counter-moves Sesshomaru was making right now, excepting the Shinobi team, who remained undetected for now. Send out a reconnaisance team of his own? Destroyed. Reinforce border patrols around suspected areas? Get an earful from the neighboring lords about "suspicious activity", only to have the enemy jump out someplace else entirely. At first glance, one might assume Sesshomaru was merely being attacked by all of his "rival" lords on each side of his territory, but all of the ones who attacked shared the same black and blue emblem. This information, and the oddest sense of deja-vu he'd gotten the first time he'd seen the emblem made Sesshomaru believe this foe may have known or even battled his father before, or at least had some kind of relevant connection. But there was something as puzzling as it was troubling about this foe, beisides his anonimousity. He hadn't made any real attacks, despite invading his territory several times. Rather, he sent an almost continuous stream of reconnaisance and "probe" teams, whose purpose was not to fight, but to investigate. To observe from the inside, and if they were smart enough, become parasitic and blend seamlessly into the ordinary residents of his territory, making him damn near impossible to stop.

But Sesshomaru wasn't the type to lie down and die quietly. Oh no.

He sighed, tired just from thinking about it. _'Father...'_ He thought, looking up at the stars once more. _'Wherever you are...I can't help but wonder what you're doing? Sitting up there watching your sons make fools of themselves most likely. As bad as I know it is to dream of things in the past, for they can never change, I can not help but wish that you were beside me here...You knew how to handle things like this. You knew how to handle Mother so I never had to before...Of course I can see why now, but...'_ He sighed. _'Where did it go wrong? I was supposed to surpass you, to defeat you, to...'_ He let out another sigh. "Where are you when I actually _want_ you here?"

"Oi, I've been down here for some time now, prick."

Sesshomaru would never admit to jumping out of his skin at the sudden appaearance of a certain hanyou beneath the branch he rested on...but he did. Thankfully his usually crass brother wore a more somber expression, and had felt no need to call him out on it, if he'd noticed it at all. "Hn. I was wondering when you would arrive. The terrain must have given you quite some trouble if you're this late," Sesshomaru mocked. Inuyasha looked like he was going to get mad and go about his usual tirade, but something stopped him short. He looked at Sesshomaru weirdly before averting his eyes- a gesture that for some reason made Sesshomaru uncomfortable.

"Like I said, I've been here a while." Inuyasha said before a slightly mischeivous light reached his eye for a moment. "Your senses must be getting rusty in your old age. I've literally been sitting down there for the last five minutes, but you didn't bat an eye. I kind of figured we weren't talking for some reason, so I just sat down and waited." Inuyasha's explaination was breif, his arms folding over his chest in a characteristic pose that practically _yelled_ "Insecurity" from its defensive posture. That would need to be worked on at some point, Sesshomaru mentally noted.

"Hn. Sometimes words are not necessary." was all he said before lifting into the air again, looking down at his sibling as he stood and stretched. "You can say that again," Inuyasha murmured. "Come," Sesshomaru gestured vaguely before turning towards the sea. "The manor is this way." Inuyasha didn't hesistate to jump from the cliff, finding his way safely to the forest floor without a hitch before following Sesshomaru through the wood to the beach.

"This is where your journey begins, _otouto"_

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 _ **"...Ever after never came, and I'm still waiting,**_

 _ **For a life that never was,**_

 _ **And all the dreams I've laid to rest,**_

 _ **Are ghosts that keep me,**_

 _ **After all that I've become,**_

 _ **I am only one,**_

 _ **I am only one..."**_

 _ **'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**_

 **Ok, so cliff hangers wear on me after a while. Oh well.**

 **This is only going to get more interesting, and if all goes well, we should see the beginnings of SessXInu next chappie! WHOO! But not before we go through the ASTERISKS!**

 ***Camoflage:** _Ok, so you remember how I told you dog's can't see red or green? Well, that makes Inuyasha's robes roughly the same color as grass to a dog, so to them, it really is kind of like camoflage...Rabbits can see green and red, but not so much blue or orange, so he sticks out like a sore thumb._

 ****50 "human" paces:** _Ok, so if memory serves me right, one "pace" =1.5feet or 1/2 meter. I am probably wrong, but for the purposes of this fic, it shall be so._

 *****Shaking/doggy habit:** _Yay! More doggy fun facts! Dogs actually use head and body "shaking" (as if to dislodge water) to "dislodge" tension and stress as well as dirt and water. In this case Inuyasha is facing an emotional moment and doesn't want to be, creating the "stress" criteria from which the shaking stems. That and I just felt like it'd be a good place to insert it._

 ******Shinobi:** _Aaaand this is where things get complicated. "Shinobi" or "Ninja" (really not the right name for youkai shinobi, but, y'know...) were often hireable military hitmen of sorts (mercenaries, if you will) they were quite popular among daimyo in the warring states period, and were hired to do everything from surveilance to body guarding._

 **Well, if you liked, Review! And you shall have more!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok, I'll keep the A/N short, this chapter is likely going to be really long and really intense. (for some people) There's love, hate, anger, mentions of disciplinary abuse, mentions of incest, (ahem) and angst written to the best of my ability whilst exhausted. I make no promises. I'll give a longer explainantion at the bottom for things in this chappie. If you don't understand something, (there's a lot of 16th century japanese culture being incorporated here) feel free to PM me.**

 **Going on with things, let's bring our poor younger boy into this, shall we?**

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 **CH VIX**

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 _ **Last time:**_ " _Like I said, I've been here a while." Inuyasha said before a slightly mischeivous light reached his eye for a moment. "Your senses must be getting rusty in your old age. I've literally been sitting down there for the last five minutes, but you didn't bat an eye. I kind of figured we weren't talking for some reason, so I just sat down and waited." Inuyasha's explaination was breif, his arms folding over his chest in a characteristic pose that practically yelled "Insecurity" from its defensive posture. That would need to be worked on at some point, Sesshomaru mentally noted._

 _"Hn. Sometimes words are not necessary." was all he said before lifting into the air again, looking down at his sibling as he stood and stretched. "You can say that again," Inuyasha murmured. "Come," Sesshomaru gestured vaguely before turning towards the sea. "The manor is this way." Inuyasha didn't hesistate to jump from the cliff, finding his way safely to the forest floor without a hitch before following Sesshomaru through the wood to the beach._

 _"This is where your journey begins, otouto"_

 _'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''_

On the way to the manor, Inuyasha felt the cool, slick snake of dread creep up into the pit of his stomach. Its annoying sensation was not helped by the scene he had bore witness to not moments ago. Sesshomaru was almost always hypervigilant, never missing a beat or failing to dodge all but the fastest of attacks- the fact Inuyasha genuinely caught him off guard should have been hot air for his ego, but instead it stirred up concern like mud in clear water. The look on his face at the time he'd arrived was very...open. Like the mask had been stripped away like bark in a river, and for the first time, he'd actually seen something _relatable_ behind his brother's eyes besides rage without having to search deep inside them. But it was what he seen that had stirred these mixed feelings of sadness and anxiety inside him. The anxiety was mostly to blame on the fact he _knew_ he was walking into what was basically a predator-palooza, and he _knew_ that no matter if his half sibling ran the place, he was on his own if he got snared by a too-big youkai and was consequentially eaten. It was honsetly not his biggest fear, but he had no way of knowing how strong the youkai in there were- and _that_ frightened him more than anything.

But what stirred up this residual sadness had been the look on Sesshomaru's normally so stoic face. He'd seen his brother show his emotions on rare occaisions, mostly whenever Rin was around, but this...this was different. Different even from that time that he and Sesshomaru had locked eyes, this display of emotion was still different. It wasn't just jaded and tired, it was _hurt._ Pure, unadulterated, _pain_ had been etched on his face for but a second, and with that pain came another fleeting emotion that, had he of blinked, he might have missed- but he didn't.

 _Defeat._

It had been there and gone in less than a second; but in that second, it had felt like some part of his perception of reality was on the verge of collapsing in a swirling storm of disillusionment. Something had rubbed him entirely the wrong way about that expression, which for all the world did _not_ belong to that face. Not _his_ face. Not Sesshomaru's face. Not the face of a literal _demon_ , who had been all but tormenting him the better part of the last one and a half centuries. A look of _defeat_ on such a pompous power-figures face- it was...well, it unsettled him. Especially as he was just about to barge in on a figurative (he hoped) party of youkai he had a feeling would not be excited to see him.

He tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind for a while, choosing instead to focus blankly on the trees rushing past him in a blur of blue and purple shadows, letting his mind fizzle out for a minute or two- or, preferably, until he got to the manor. He felt his gut clench uncomfortably at the thought, anxiety making him feel ill for just a moment- which was clealry enough to temporarily slow him down, as Sesshomaru called down to him in an impatient, almost scathing tone, "Hurry up, hanyou. If you can't even keep pace with me at this speed, you'll never survive training." Shoving his anxiety deep down with enough force to make him tremble, he assumed an air of haughtiness once again, even if he really didn't feel it as much this time.

They arrived on the beach in a matter of minutes, and Inuyasha looked around, slightly confused. Suddenly, there was a hand grasping the back of his shirt roughly, hauling him up off the ground like a pup being picked up by its scruff. "Hey!" Inuyasha shouted in surprise, flailing helplessly as he gripped the offending hand with his claws out, somewhat satisfied when he felt something warm and wet stain his fingers. "That sort of behavior is rather unnecessary, hanyou. The manor is lofted into the sky by my mother's magick. Unless you have since my absence learnt to fly and failed to inform me, you haven't much choice but to let me ferry you there."

"Well, you could have picked a different way to go about it, damnit!"

"Would you rather I have grabbed you by the ankle?" Inuyasha growled, looking up to find his older half sibling smirking slightly in amusement at his sibling's ire. "I suppose not," He quietly mumbled, releasing Sesshomaru's now bleeding arm in favor of crossing his own over his chest.

"Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Folding your arms in that manner. It makes you look vulnerable, despite its intention to do the opposite." Inuyahsa almost guffawed- almost. "Just what the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Hn. Be quiet, and follow my instruction. You are a _guest_ here, and will be expected to behave as such. You _can_ behave civily, can't you?" Sesshomaru asked, voice part sardonic and part exshasperated. Inuyasha had to swallow the forming lump in is throat once Sesshomaru set him down (which, when he thought about it, was surprising; he'd half expected to be dropped unceremoniously, but rather Sesshomaru had set him down with the same amount of grace he typically went about setting Rin down with, although without the tender undertones) on the floating island that served to be the palace-manor-castle thingy's grounds. Why did he call it both a palace and a manor, anyway? Wasn't there a difference? Suddenly, a worrisome thought popped into his head.

"Is your mother here?" Inuyasha asked in a quieter-than-ususal way. It made Sesshomaru actually turn to regard him as he walked toward the manor-palace. (It was technically both; Being as he was the Daimyo, it was technically his castle/palace house, but all the same the actual property belonged to his mother, who was now the head of the clan; That, and the actual structure was finitely too large to be a typical manor house, but all the same much too small to be a lavitious palace, much as his mother disagreed; so really, it came down to preferences. Personally he didn't much care what it was called, but his mother...well, she was particular about certain things.) "No. She has recently taken leave to handle political affairs with the northern Bear King. He offered us his allegiance in exchange for trade route availability."

"Trade route?" That roused Inuyasha's curiousity for some reason, and he realised with a dull sort of impact that this was the most civil conversation he thought he'd ever had with his brother. Go figure.

"Our land lies nearest to the continent, so we have many trade ports. Trade ports that many an enemy would love to have for themselves. Our land is, by consequence of the ports, quite rich with traded goods. Goods that are then traded again to other Lords in exchange for more goods, and so on so forth. My territory- father's territory- is the center of a web of trade and exchange agreements and treaties with the mainland, which is why so many other nobles desire it." Inuyasha wondered briefly why Sesshomaru was bothering to explain this, but he was glad in a way that he did. "Makes sense I guess," He murmured offhand- only to have a stiff hand smack him upside the head, barely missing his sensitive ear.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?!"

"Speak up. Or must I give you a briefing in how to behave civily?" Something in the way he said that made Inuyasha think that whatever his form of a "debreifing" was, he probably wouldn't like it. "Your mother was a _hime_ yes?" Inuyasha balked a moment at the sudden mention of his mother, looking away from his brother's hard gaze as it bored into his face uncomfortably. "Yeah, so what?"

"You must have some inkling, then, as to the type of behavior I am referring to. Or are you so dense that as a child you were too obstinate to pay attention to her actions?"

"I Know what you're talking about! I'm not blind, _jackass,_ I remember how she was," And there went the civility of their conversation.

"Then you will do your best to emulate those behaviors in the face of _my_ company." Sesshomaru stated sternly, as if he was giving orders- which, in a way, he was- and nothing, _nothing_ got under Inuyasha's skin quite like someone barking orders at him. He'd always done what he damn well pleased to do, and did not like it when people infringed upon his sense of freedom, to which, yes, he admittedly felt entitled.

"And if I refuse?" He challanged, knowing fully well that he was walking a dangerous line. Expecting some snide comment on how he'd be _forced_ to do it, or better yet, an attack of some kind by Sesshomaru, he was surprised when the daiyoukai did something that he'd never actually _seen_ him do, but that he'd learnt from Jaken to dread- he _smiled._

"Then there will be no one and nothing to stop the other nobles presently residing at the manor from ripping you to peices for your discourtesy." Sesshomaru said in a surprisingly light tone, as if talking about the color of the sky or the weather. Still, Inuyasha caught the mischeif hidden within his voice, and he didn't like it one bit. "Other nobles? You said nothing about other pricks being here besides youself."

"Another thing to watch- your mouth. I am very lenient with your...choice of vocabulary," He stated. "However, I imagine Lord Yuriei will not be so approving."

"Wait, so theres _more_ of you there!?"

"Only two. Lord Yuriei and his heir, Lord Kujaku, are present at the manor right now. They were taking leave from their territory to discuss the issue of our borders overlapping with those of the southern panther tribe, which, as you may recall, are not very amourous when it comes to us." Inuyasha remembered little of the actual event, being as he wasn't really a key component, but he remembered hearing about it enough. "Lord Yuriei is a _Tengu._ Specifically, he is a _Kasa-Tengu*,_ as is his son."

"Tengu? Really?" Inuyasha scoffed. Sesshomaru only shook his head. "They are still lords. And they are _Kasa_ tengu, not _Karasu**_ tengu. They pride themsleves in their appearances, both formal and literal, far more than any crow**-tengu. They are also much more brazen when they are singled out, unlike Karasu-tengu, who prefer to have backup; these youkai don't _need_ backup, and that is what makes them worthy to be lords." Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru strangely for a moment. Is that what he really thought? He didn't get the chance to ask before he was at the gates to the manor-palace-whatever he wanted to call it. He swallowed thickly despite himself.

"Behave yourself." Sesshomaru stated flatly after a moment. They stood there a good moment longer, and Inuyasha wondered idly if Sesshomaru ever had to steel his resolve for things like this. Well, maybe not _exactly_ this, but something akin to it.

"Do _not_ make me save you, mutt." He heard, barely audiably, as Sesshomaru motioned to the two standing guard to open the large, wooden gate; the palace was surrounded on all sides by a high stone wall that looked almost eerily chalky in some places, the gate made from a hard wood that had been painted bright red. The top edge of the gate was curved to form an arch, which fit perfectly into the stone that also arched above it. The edge had black metal rivets of some kind in it, along with some fancy metal work that Inuyasha did not especially care for. Caught up in the possible meaning of Sesshomaru's- probably unbidden- words about having to save him, he mindlessly followed his sibling until something hard and cylindrical was promptly shoved against his gut with a force that would have winded him if he hadn't of already been exhaling at the time. It nealry knocked him over, but he kept steady on his feet. Looking down, he seen a _Naginata***_ handle shoved mercilessly into his gut. He came very close to loosing his cool in that moment, but Sesshomaru stopped him. "Enough. He is with me." At this, the guards cast suspiscious glances at each other, their faces not worth Inuyasha's time to remember, but let up the _Naginata_ to allow him to pass. He thought about making a rude comment, but Sesshomaru's glower over his shoulder at him kept him quiet.

The world inside the palace walls was...well, it was...Inuyasha didn't have words for it. Most human palaces that he'd seen (which weren't many), the inside was dusty and baren, more or less, which kept it cleaner, in some ironic way, than having more than one or two shrubs and grass patches around...but _this_ was most certainly not barren. In fact, Inuyasha had to hunt for a bald patch in the spontaneous carpet of green than met his still bare feet. Even though it was nearing winter, and the air considerably colder up here where everything was constantly buffered by sea winds, the grass remained green as spring, and strangely the earth beneath his feet felt...warm, almost. Like it had its own heat, which kept the grass green and healthy. There were trees, too, set off to the sides of the manor before him, which was two stories high and made from some dark reddish wood that had captivating swirls and whorls in the grain. The trees were late to lose their green foliage, and were still alight with the auburn colors of autumn even when all the trees on the ground far below them had already lost most of their brilliant color for the winter. Fall flowers decorated the steps that lead to the main doors of the manor in a wildflower type way, showing that they hadn't originally been cultivated there, but had just happened to be there. A sudden, peircing whistling sound brought Inuyasha's attention to a shrub beside him, and he noticed there was one of these shrubs on each side of the gate, their foliage bright green with orange-yellow fringes, the wood bluish purple underneath. It wasn't like any bush he'd ever seen, but then neither was the smallish bird that had made the shrill noise hiding within the bush.

The bird was at a glance a mostly grayish color. But upon closer inspection, he found that not to be the case whatsoever. It's belly was a silvery gray color that washed into a dark gray on its lower belly and legs and washed up its neck into a striking white that made its face stand out. It had a little crest, and its white face had pretty, bold, red markings on it, Its crest, which it seemed to raise at him inquisitively, had faint yellow bands on it. It hopped into the light to look at him, he supposed, and revealed a blue-gray back with lighter blue feathers sticking out over its forewings before cascading over its rump, where it faded into a silvery blue. Its primaries, sticking out, were solid black, as were its feet, though its beak was ivory colored. It had a diamond-shaped tail that was tipped in red, just like its face, and gave it a balanced look. He couldn't help staring at the almost alarmingly pretty bird, which in turn seemed to study him before letting out a whistled _chiiiiruuuuiiip,cheeeru, cheeeru._ His ears cocked forward at its voice, and it promptly hopped over to the closest branch to him. It was about the size of a jay, and looked a bit like one too, but he knew for a fact he'd never seen a bird like this. It returned is curious gaze, completely unafraid of him, muttering a warbled _Giiruuupitu._ Fascinated, he refused to admit his brother's intrusive voice had startled him with its sudden proximity as it appeared behind him.

"It's a Kabuki-bird****," Sesshomaru explained, a touch of something like nostalgia in his voice.  
"They live on this island with us. They're not native to the human world, so they are kept here."

"Are they youkai?" He asked incredulously.

"In a manner of speaking. They are sometimes ferried by humans into the human world, where they quickly wither. They are quite fragile, yet remarkably adaptable. They live almost everywhere in the spirit world, though a lot of them don't look like that. This one was born on the island, its own kind of sub-species if you will."

Inuyasha didn't know what to be more surprised by; he was certain in all the years he'd known Sesshomaru that he'd never heard him talk this much, to _him_ no less, and especially not so...tamely. Arguing, that's what he was used to. Taunting, teasing, mocking, and fighting- not...this. This almost scholarly tone, as if he was teaching Rin something or the other as he sometimes took upon himself to do. The calm, settled look on his face instead of the rage filled one he was used to. It was a...nice, change, he supposed, but it was weird. Then there was the whole "this tiny, pretty, _harmless_ bird was a _youkai?_ " revelation. He'd always made bad associations with youkai, though Shippo was kind of the exception, especially those that hung around Sesshomaru, but...Looking over at Sesshomaru, who had come to stand beside him, he watched with awe as the small, jay-like bird willingly hopped onto one of Sesshomaru's outstretched hands as if it were perfectly tame, warbling a little tune at him as it flicked its tail, bobbing its head as it raised its crest inquistively. And Sesshomaru made no move to brush the bird aside, either, even as it hopped onto his shoulder with a flash of its black and white wings; rather, he simply watched, face impassive but somehow also...relaxed. As his thoughts caught up to him he thought to ask a question.

"What do you mean, human's ferry them? I thought humans couldn't live in the spirit world." He asked innocently, genuinely curious. Sesshomaru looked over at him, face still impassive, before coercing the bird off him with a gentleness that surprised Inuyasha. "There are many parts of the spirit world, some of which humans can enter; similarly, youkai can also enter through these points. Or exit, if they choose." His tone sounded almost whistful, and Inuyasha suddenly wondered if Sesshomaru had ever tried to "exit" the human world, or even if he'd ever run away from home. The way he sounded, combined with what Myoga had told him what seemed like forever ago, and it seemed plausible. He felt a sudden stab of pity that hit him out of nowhere, but quickly shoved it down before Sesshomaru could notice.

"Ah, Sesshomaru-sama, it is nice to see your return," a smooth, pleasant voice suddenly called from behind the both of them. It made Inuyasha jump, as much as he would deny that till he reached his deathbed, and he whirled around to see a...well, _pretty,_ man standing on the porch that the stairs lead up to, having probably come out of the black double doors that lead into the house, if their half-open position was any indication. He was decorated in an ornate _haori,_ which had a cream colored base and fancy, scrawl-like orange and red flowers on it; beneath the _haori_ he wore a white _kimono_ with a black _obi_ and an again white sash. His _hakama_ were also black, with faint blue trimmings on the bottoms. The man had long, silky black hair that did... _something_ in the sunlight, that made it seem to phase colors subtly as a breeze lofted a few strands into the air. Inuyasha watched, mesmerised, as the folicles glinted a rainbow of colors ever so subtly as they moved, shifting between echoing the colors green, blue, purple and orange. The man's skin was very pale by comparison and had an almost pearl-like sheen to it that also caught the light subtly, especially around his neck, which looked as if it were made of tiny opal shards, scattering a phantom of colors over his otherwise white skin in the most captivating way possible. Looking up to his oval face, he took note of the youkai's shell-colored lips and very dark lashes, which did little to conceal the dark red color of his eyes, which almost perfectly matched the color of spilt blood; though, rather than make him creepy, the eyes seemed to suit him. Looking a little closer, Inuyasha noticed faint bluish markings around his eyes, which accentuated the whispers of color his skin and hair reflected quite nicely.

Standing just behind him, Inuyasha noticed, was a small person who, as he peeked his small head out from behind the youkai, Inuyasha assumed was Yuriei's son, even if he honestly looked almost nothing like him at a glance- the child had pretty, stark white and silver colored hair that also caught the light, though more subtly than his father's, and his round, childish face bore pink eye markings behind pale but equally as long lashes. His eyes were not quite red, but instead a clear carmine pink color. His skin looked even whiter than his fathers, if that was even possible, and his childlike mouth was flat with apprehension, his eyes studying himself, as the hanyou realised, with a look of curious suspicion. When their eyes met, the kid- Kujaku, was it?- turned his face away shyly, once more hiding behind his father's robes.

"Lord Yuriei," Sesshomaru greeted nonchalantly, though formally all the same. "I trust you have found the house to your...suitability?"

"Indeed, your home and Mother have been quite gracious in your absence." Yuriei's voice was subtly masculine and flowed smoother than a brook rolling over round, weathered stones. It was attractive, like the rest of him. "Now, who do we have here?" Inuyasha started at the realisation he was now the subject of conversation- usually not a good thing where nobles got involved. Or youkai got involved. He felt his ears pin back reflexively and actively fought the urge to cross his arms defensively over his chest, thinking that if Sesshomaru had bothered to point it out he'd probably'd have done so for a reason- or at least, that was to say that he'd had no reason to lie to him at the time.

"This is my younger half-brother, Inuyasha."

"Half brother, neh? I heard you had one, but I never imagined he'd be so..." Yuriei paused, fishing for words Inuyasha was pretty sure were going to be an insult, sharp retort already beginning to seep venom onto his tongue. To his surprise though, the lord smiled almost sweetly at him before finishing, "...pretty." Inuyasha felt his face color the shade of his robes at the admonishment, the venom dying on his tongue and leaving it too dry to respond. After a moment of awkward silence, Yuriei chuckled softly, turning to the child behind him. It was then that Inuyasha thought it strange that though they were tengu, they had no visible wings. _'must be hiding them, then'_

"My name is Yuriei, or rather _Lord_ Yuriei, and this is my boy, lord Kujaku. Come, Kujaku, say hello to Sesshomaru-sama's guest." The child reluctantly came out from behind his father, revealing that he wore a mostly black _Kimono_ with black _Hakama_ and white sash, each of which contrasted the color of his hair almost uncomfortably. Black did not suit him. "H-hello...Um...?"

"Inuyasha," the hanyou replied with a bit more gruffness than intended, finding his voice. The child seemed to teeter on his heel a bit at the tone he'd unwillingly used, but held his ground nonetheless, bowing at the shoulder to demonstrate his recognition. Suddenly Inuyasha felt eyes on him from all three persons, and possibly more, if the servants and other personell stopping to throw looks of curiousity and confusion his way was any indication. Feeling a sense of both confusion and anxiety rise within him, he turned to Sesshomaru, who gave him the same expectant look as the two on the porch. Inuyasha suddenly felt a spike of anger strike him like lightning, making his ears pin sharply against his skull and his fists suddenly clench. What the hell did they want from him?

Sesshomaru sighed, shoulders slumping, expression almost...dissappointed. He walked over to Inuyasha then, and in spite of the hanyou backing away from him cautiously, he continued until he was able to bend down to whisper tersely in his ear, as if reprimanding a child, " _Bow."_ The situation caught up to him too quickly, and he flushed again, not really sure what to do. It had been a very long time since he had been around nobility, and even then the only person of noble blood he'd ever been around was his mother, a human _woman._ Male nobility was totally foreign to him; all he knew was that there was a different way men and women wrote stuff and that male nobility had some kind of "treat me with respect or die" thing going on.

" _Bow,_ " Sesshomaru repeated into his folded ear tersely, and Inuyasha couldn't really fight him, no matter how big the part of him was that wanted to shout _I don't bow for anyone._ Not with the increasingly heated gazes of two - three if you wanted to count Sesshomaru- lords and a growing croud of curious bystanders, some bouncing on their toes with anticipation.

 _' I've never been one to like being the center of attention, contrary to what Kagome says,'_ He thought offhandedly. Sighing dejectedly, he gave an awkardly shallow bow, only to have Sesshomaru's impatient hand shove him down until he was bent at the waist. He resisted the urge to growl at him, figuring that this was not a good place to make a scene, but part of one slipped out anyway.

"Much better," Yuriei suddenly said in a too-chipper tone, indicating he'd been just as unhappy about Inuyasha's lack of respect as Sesshomaru, if his punishing grip on his hair was any indication. Inuyasha fought a blush that hit him out of nowhere at the thought of Sesshomaru pulling his hair. _'what the ever-fucking hellis wrong with me lately!?'_

"Forgive my _brother,_ " Sesshomaru practically hissed the word, sparking an old fire within him. It began to smolder with each second Sesshomaru kept him forcibly looking down, but he didn't let it surface as a flame. Not yet, at least.

"He is...unaccustomed, to the ways of nobility, having been raised peasant." It wasn't a total lie, but Inuyasha really didn't like the familiar disdain pouring from his _brothers_ poisonous lips.

"You'd think he'd still know when to bow," the child, Kujaku, giggled behind his father. Inuyasha suddenly felt himself lurch forward of his bodies own accord, is mind a pace or two behind his rational judgment as he felt another lightning bolt of affronted anger rip through him, leaving a strong burning feeling in his chest and stomach. The burn was replaced just as quickly, however, by a sudden, much stronger pain that left him breathless for a moment as he heard more than felt something pop from around his middle. Mind finally catching up to body, he realised he'd been punched square in the gut, the tatse of vomit coating the back of his throat as he suddenly heaved for breath. He realised as he moved to straighten himself, trying to land on his feet, for the blow had knocked him off them, that the popping noise had been his spine, which made another obnoxious objection as he forced the now aching muscles in his back to straighten, his fist automatically drawing back for retaliation. He knew perfectly well who hit him, even if he was blinded by his own movements right at the moment, eyes unable to focus properly as adrenaline began coursing through him, and by the heavens he was _not_ about to turn away the option to fight the bastard tooth and claw-as well as fist- so long as he still had the choice. Not with the burn of a perceived insult driving him forth, his pride, and some impulse or the other urging him to fight to defend what little honor he had before these noble _pricks_.

A sudden blow to his face caught him off guard as he swung his own fist, the appendage being brushed away like an annoying fly. He caught himself quickly though, faster than Sesshomaru anticipated, reaching with his unused arm to claw at one of Sesshomaru's arms as it moved to strike him from below. He dug his claws in as hard as he could manage against the bones, ducking his head out of the way just in time to miss another face shot; his reflexes were catching up to him now as the two brothers fell into a surprisingly familiar rythm with each other, the fight suddenly becoming a series of rehearsed actions and blows as they adapted to the other flawlessly. Hand-to-hand combat was admittedly not Inuyasha's strongsuit, especially against Sesshomaru, but he'd always had an inkling that his brother went easy on him when they fought like this- not that you'd know it from the injuries he sustained.

As Sesshomaru's arm cocked back from the missed blow, Inuyasha, in a flash of either genius or stupididty (he'd find out later, he supposed) opened is mouth and lurched his body weight toward the arm, reaching until he felt the slightest touch of skin against his canine teeth before slamming his jaws shut like a steel trap around Sesshomaru's wrist, the action earning him a surprised roar. The glory didn't last long though as he felt Sesshomaru's energy flare up dangerously, suddenly feeling as if some kind of weight was constricting his chest and head, prompting an instant headache. He then felt a sudden, burning, tearing pain rip-quite literally- through his shoulder and _stay_ there, and he realised even after turning his head that way quite belatedly that Sesshomaru had _bitten_ him, and was presently chewing at his flesh quite painfully. He cried out, releasing his hold in Sesshomaru's wrist with his jaws in preference for snapping them quite close to his face.

Suddenly the world was spinning in an extremely violent manner as he felt a sudden jerk in his neck before the pain in his shoulder increased tenfold. Crying out in pain, and now fear, he struggled after the spinning and aching stopped, only to have it start up again. He realised once it stopped again that he was somehow now on the ground, being pinned down by Sesshomaru, who growled ferally above him, eyes dancing dangerously between shades of gold and red from the corner of his periphery. He didn't have a lot of time to process things before some instinct told him to move again, which resulted in more spinning and...wait, was he being _shook?_

He realised with a start that he was being thrashed in the jaws of his demon-dog brother, the action steadily tearing apart the muscle in his shoulder, though he'd stopped feeling it by now. He didn't feel the claws digging deep puncture wounds into his chest or side either, didn't smell the blood, didn't notice anything besides the sickening way the world was spinning around his head even after the shaking stopped and the dull sense that something was wrong with his body and that he shouldn't try to move it anymore. But really, when had that feeling stopped him?

" _Enough, hanyou,"_ Sesshomaru growled dangerously. "That temper of yours is going to get you killed before you've even seen the battlefield, _mutt_ , so long as you keep giving in to impulses like that. It might work on lesser youkai, but against nobles like myself and Yuriei-sama, it will get you killed in short order." Sesshomaru warned, keeping his voice low but feirce agains the hanyou's ear. Inuyasha was suddenly curious why Sesshomaru bothered to warn him, but was secretly grateful in his own way- even if it came off as a jab to his already wounded pride.

Sesshomaru stood up, wiping the blood from his lips with his thumb and giving Inuyasha room to stand, though the hanyou did not move from his prone position on the ground. _'Good. For your own sake, you're better to stay that way for now'_ "Forgive my brother- _again-_ for he is..." Sesshomaru thought about it, realising his words from earlier may have been interpreted as indirect insults, and thus probably added fuel to the fire. "Not entirely civil," he went with that, finding no better way to call his brother a nearly feral, boisterous, ignorant, pig headed _moron._

"That much is obvious," Yuriei said with a light sort of distaste in his tone. He did not seem all that offended, actually- rather, he seemed amused. "You will have to work with him then, won't you? I presume you've recruited him into your army- I've heard his name in parts of Japan, after all ; but alas, we can't very well trust an untrained dog on the battlefield, can we?" He stated, coming down the stairs. His words made even Sesshomaru bristle, but he resisted, still the picture of calm in spite of his seemingly outraged actions earlier, which he knew, at least, was mostly just for show. If he'd wanted to knock Inuyasha out, he would have, but he figured Inuyasha would need some way to prove himself capable of defending himself before the servants of the household, most of which paused in their work to witness the fight, lest they get any ideas about eating him; still, there was a line that had to be drawn somewhere, and Yuriei, rather than Sesshomaru, had been the one to draw it, much to his ire, when he drew a fan from his robes, a tell tale sign he was moving to attack soon.

 _'When did I get so damn nice?'_ He mentally asked himself, before answering, _'I have no choice if I want to see what Inuyasha is really capable of...I'm quite curious, really.'_

"Do be generous about it, too- we wouldn't want him biting his masters hand," Yuriei now stood but a pace away from the two of them, his words encouraging Inuyasha to sit up, once more on edge with anger. Sesshomaru moved subtly to stand in front of him, as much for Yuriei's safety as Inuyasha's. While Sesshomaru respected Yuriei, he did not much care for his air of superiority or his sometimes toxic tongue, which frankly reminded him far too bitterly of his mother at times. He resisted the urge to bristle himself, knowing if he did there'd be more than trouble as Inuyasha followed his lead. _Pack mentality_ he heard the words echo in his head, though he could not remember from whence they came or who spoke them.

"I assure you his training will be done _diligently_ ," Inuyasha, having had his senses come back around him, listened to his words with a whisper of dread echoing in his gut again. Pride ultimately won it over though, a sense of childish obstinance coming over him suddenly. _'thats what you think, big guy. I ain't no puppy- I don't roll over that easily.'_

"Well, if you should ever need... _assistance,_ with such matters, be not hesitant to call on me. I have dealt with his kind before- stubborn, proud, and strong-willed. All good character traits- in moderation." Suddenly Inuyasha got a sense that he shouldn't be hanging around this guy. He talked like he owned the world, and could get whatever he wanted out of it if he chose to do so, if that made any sense. It sent up big red flags in his head, warning him vividly to keep his distance. He'd never been wrong about that sense before, and he wasn't about to challange its reputation now. _'maybe giving Sesshomaru a hard time might not work in my favor, espacially if he really does call this guy...'_ A shudder threatened to crawl up him, but he fought it back, refusing to be brought down even farther than he had been today.

"Your offer will be considered if the need should arise, though I assure you," Sesshomaru paused, a mischeivious glint suddenly tainting his eyes, making Inuyasha even more wary. "I am perfectly capable of handling whatever he throws my way. I am quite used to having to fight him over the simplest of things." Inuyasha snorted softly from behind him, unable to help himself. _'hypocrite'_ he thought smugly. _'you started it most the time'_. He looked up to find Sesshomaru glaring daggers at him, warning him silently to mind himself, lest he get in even more trouble. He also seen something buried beneath the agitation that somehow told him that they'd be doing more talking later- though this time he imagined it would turn out to be a little more like old times, what with his own gaze showing a heated defiance that he put up there on purpose, if for no other reason than to hide the sense of unease he had over the tengu standing before them.

Said tengu shook his head at Sesshomaru's words, an equally mischevious frown curling the edges of his pretty mouth. "Well, that won't do," He replied, now standing not a half a pace from them. He felt more than seen Sesshomaru stiffen at the remark, feeling his hackles just beggining to rise. Clearly Sesshomaru's repsect for his fellow lord only went so far. "A soldier should be obedient, should he not? A soldier that can not follow even simple orders is as good as dead; if the enemy doesn't kill him, his own comrades might," Yuriei smirked openly, the expression far too sweet to make Inuyasha resist the urge to shift uncomfortably as his gaze turned on the hanyou, red eyes not exactly malicious, but mischevious in a threatening kind of way. "Again, I'd be glad to take the responsibility off your shoulders with this one- only if you'd allow it, of course," He added, turning back to Sesshomaru, who's posture was rigid with practiced restraint, face carefully schooled to seem much more polite than he presently felt like being to this man, who's words greatly offended and somewhat unsettled him for some reason.

"Again, if I should deem it necessary, I shall call upon you- however, in his present state, Inuyasha is well within my abilities to handle effeciently." Sesshomaru struggled, as he always did in these situations, to keep the sharp, clipped edge from his voice. Seeming to notice that the conversation was rapidly descending down a potentially dangerous path, Yuriei conceeded, stepping back a bit. "Well, if that is all, I think Kujaku and I will retire to the training room to practice. If you should require it, you will know where to find us." He said, suddenly turning on his heel and walking away without another word. Kujaku spared them, and specifically Inuyasha, a nearly pitying glance before following after his father. Once both tengu had left the area, Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha, who still sat on the grass, his face lost in thought. He cleared his throat to draw his attention, Inuyasha's gaze meeting his with a peculiar expression, a mixture of apprehension and defiance. He recognized the look as one he used to give his father, but kept that thought in the back of his head for now. Inuyasha's expression changed, however, when he seemed to find _something_ in Sesshomaru's gaze, which, schooled as it was, was still not quite impervious to detection. _'when the hell did he get that good at reading me?'_

"Come. You need to be familiar with the grounds."

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Inuyasha was shown to a guest bedroom located near the front of the house, where he would be staying- and noted with what should have been smug indignation that Sesshomaru's quarters were on the top floor and about as far away from his as it could be. He should have felt grateful- but insted he felt...lonely. A deep part of him never forgot that sense of abandonment he'd had when he'd first met his sibling all those years ago as a child. Sesshomaru had pretty much ignored him, pushing him away with his typical disgust and hurtful words. He'd grown to despise Sesshomaru just as much as Sesshomaru despised him, and they were okay with that. Mutual dislike had been the centerpeice of their relationship. And he'd been okay with that.

Then Naraku happened. They were forced to work together for the first time ever, and it had been...strange. They fought alongside each other well enough in spite of not actually working 'together' per say, and in the end they both agreed in some way that they were both equally responsible for the demons death. Rin had been dropped off at the village shortly thereafter, promting frequent visits from Sessshomaru to see her...though "frequent" was a flexible term there. It was months sometimes between his visits, especially in the winter. Still, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had mostly ignored each other during these visits, only sparking the occaisional argument and- quite rarely- a physical spat that usually ended as fast as it started. Even so, as the years progressed Inuyasha's feelings about Sesshomaru...changed. He wouldn't say he was _fond_ of the Daiyoukai, but he'd become more...comfortable, in a sense. Sesshomaru just kind of became a small little peice of his life bit by bit, and Rin...

Rin was almost as precious to him as she was to Sesshomaru. Most of their arguments had revolved around the girl, what to do when the long-absent Kohaku returned to make advancements on her being a paramount one that ultimately lead to a fight between the two of them and Sango, which ultimately lead to Kohaku dissappearing again. Rin became like a sister he never had, in a strange sort of way...they argued like they were real siblings, almost like how he argued with Kagome, but different in its own way. They didn't usually spend a ton of time together, but sometimes she'd ask to take him somewhere (in which he usually wound up taking _her_ ) to be alone with him, and they'd just talk. About this and that and the next thing- how Sesshomaru ever tolerated her babble he didn't know (he wasn't sure how he tolerated Jaken either- speaking of which, where was the imp?) - but it was...nice, in its own way, to have that private company from her sometimes. She was a sweet, enigmatic girl, with a surprising bold streak and a lot more courage than anyone gave her credit for. She also had a somewhat disturbing resistance to pain*****, something he noticed the first time he watched her pick a fight (yes, sweet, innocent, _helpless_ Rin, _picked a fight-_ the look on Sesshomaru's face had been priceless at that revelation) with a villager that accused her of stealing something or the other. He'd watched in amazement as she punched the man square in the jaw as hard as he thought her small body could (she was still a pretty small girl, even though she was fourteen now) and in retaliation the man had slapped her so hard she hit the ground with a loud _thud._ Rather than stay down and hold her face in pain as he'd expected though, she stood right back up and tried to hit him again, only to be kicked in the chest with a force that should of broken something, if the sound and force behind it said anything for it. Inuyasha had lividly laid the man out before turning to Rin, who he expected to be in tears from the pain- but to his amazement, she stood up and brushed herself off without a hitch. Concerned but extremely proud, he'd informed Sesshomaru with earnest the next day when he'd visited. He'd demanded to see her ribs, but Kagome wouldn't let him. (something or the other about 'indecency') Turns out something _had_ been broken, but Rin walked and ran and did whatever without ever grimacing in pain from the wound- a feat Inuyasha applauded; he knew too well what broken ribs felt like and what it initially took him to overcome that pain. He'd never been more proud of her in that moment.

His thoughs veered off course suddenly when a soft knock sounded at his door. Immediately suspicious, he felt his hand veer towards Testusaiga automatically as he let a surprisingly level "enter" leave his lips. A small hand pried open the door, and the head that peered in was none other than Kujaku's. Immediately, Inuyasha bristled, preparing for Yuriei to appear behind him, but Kujaku raised his hands suddenly in a placating matter.

"I'm alone," his small, soft voice reassured. Kujaku's voice lacked all the captivating effects of his fathers, and sounded instead almost feminine and child-like, as Inuyasha supposed it aught. He also seemed to lack his father's forwardness, as was apparent by his seeming reluctance to enter the room unbidden. _'If nothing else, he's well mannered'_

" I came to...apologise, for my father's words. He can be kind of...well, stiff, sometimes." Kujaku said timidly, hand brushing through his hair absently. _'nervous tick'_ Inuyasha noted mentally. Most didn't take him to be the observant type, but with these people...

"Keh. You're telling me." Inuyasha ultimately failed to keep the growl out of his voice, noticing with relaxing shoulders that it made Kujaku reel a bit. _'Kid's afraid of me. Good. I can use that, maybe'_

"Again, my apologies. He really doesn't mean it the way it sounds..." Something in the kids voice told Inuyasha that he didn't really believe his own words.

"We both know that's a lie." Inuyasha said bluntly, letting himself relax a bit. This small, timid child was no threat to him, especially since he still had Tetsusaiga on him (though Sesshomaru made a mention that he wasn't supposed to have it, Inuyasha had ignored him, and been ignored in kind, Sesshomaru "turning a blind eye" on the matter for now) and Inuyasha had a hunch the kid might actually prove usefull.

"You're name's Kujaku, right?" the kid looked up at him then, meeting his gaze for the first time since opening the door. It didn't stay long before his eyes dived to the floor again. "Y-yes," he whispered, body language suddenly shrinking. Inuyasha suddenly felt a stab of pity for the kid, having a father like that.

"Well, are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to come in?" Kujaku looked up at him again at this, his face lighting up for just a fraction of a second before becoming concerned.

"I promise I don't bite little kids. Big ones...maybe." Kujaku stifled a giggle at this, and warily came into the room, looking around. "This is what the guest quarters usually look like? I've never been in here before..." Inuyasha wanted to reply with a sarcastic remark along the lines of _you've never had to live on the street either_ but wisely chose not to say anything of it.

"Not much to look at compared to where you stay, Im sure."

"Well...no, not really. The room's just a little bigger." Kujaku smiled in a way that reminded Inuyasha of a young Rin smiling stupidly at Sesshomaru after he'd returned to her the first time. Suddenly, and against his better judgment, he found himself liking the kid.

"So, kid- how good are you at fighting?"

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Sesshomaru retired to his room on the second floor after giving Inuyasha an impromptu tour of the general facilities. He wondered curiously how well Inuyasha would handle being waited upon by his servants. Given the hanyou's short temper and neophobia^, he supposed he would likely receive a complaint or two. He let his thoughts travel over to Yuriei-sama...He was a guest in Sesshomaru's home, so he could be trusted on his families honor not to do anything too rash, but at the same time, the man could be wilier than a weasel^^ and had a reputation that fit. He was far from daft enough to harrass Inuyasha in the open, but that would not stop him from sending someone else to do the dirty work for him. He immediately suspected the child he kept by his side. That child...he seemed, in a sense, demur, but Sesshomaru knew from past experiences that the meek and quiet could be the most deceptive of kinds.

His thoughts wandered to such an experience. He had been young at the time, no more than the human equivalent of Rin's age when he'd first found her, and he'd been introduced to the son of a samurai that had recently been employed by his father- he'd always had a soft spot for _ronin_ ^, and usually wound up taking them in like- well, like stray dogs. The _ronin_ his father had come to employ as a samurai again had a small boy with him when he'd arrived, and said it was his only son. Inu No Taisho had permitted the child to stay, on the condition he was well behaved. His father introduced them to each other- the boy, named Anjiro, was a strange looking boy. His father was a Rokurokubi^^, but his mother had been a Yuki-Onna, so the boy had long, whitish-bluish hair that framed his face and the most beautifully blue eyes he'd ever seen to date. As a male, he could not be reared by his mother, so he was raised by his father- a tale Sesshomaru had immediately related to. They had become as close to friends as Sesshomaru had had as a pup, and spent some time together.

Anjiro was a meek, unassuming boy who flinched at every raised voice he heard, be it directed at him or not. He was terrible at fighting, despite having apparently inherited his mothers kryokinesis, and had next to zero self-confidence. He always second guessed everything he did. He was always asking Sesshomaru, again and again, "I did good this time, right?" to which Sesshomaru had replied, "Yes, you did fine.". It became a thing between them, this exchange of phrases. They trained together with Anjiro's father's permission. Sesshomaru helped teach Anjiro to defend himself and helped him with manipulating his youki into his kryokinetic abilities, allowing him to wield ice. Anjiro had come to see Sesshomaru as a role model, and he'd been okay with that. Anjiro had frequently come in to watch Sesshomaru train with his father, promting Sesshomaru's rapid improvement for the sake of showing off. It had been a time in his life he'd expected to be able to look back on fondly. But fate did not deem it as such, it seemed.

One night, there had been a loud crashing and banging sound coming from around his father's quarters, which had awoken Sesshomaru quite abruptly. He tried to get up to see what the matter was, but had been met with a dagger at his throat before he could so much as call his father's name to see if he was alright. It was Anjiro holding the cold blade against his skin, a nearly feral expression on his face. "I don't want to kill you, Sesshomaru, I really don't" He'd said, though something in the screwy look on his face said he might have wanted to at least _hurt_ him. To watch him bleed, if the sudden weight of the knife at his throat was any indication. "But see, my father asked me to do this." At the confused expression on the young Sesshomaru's face, he'd explained, a mischeivious grin begginning to spread over the traitors face. "We aren't really what we say we are, are we?" Suddenly Sesshomaru had had the impression that Anjiro wasn't just talking about him and his father. "You can pretend all you like- but I know; I know how badly you burn for freedom even now. Your soul wants not to be trapped in this cage of regality. To be forced turn by turn to bow before people you do not respect out of obligation; to keep your composure when all you want to do is fall apart," Sesshomaru had lunged forward while he was speaking, but Anjiro was a lot stronger than his training had implied, and in the blink of an eye had pinned both of Sesshomaru's wrists beside his head, the dagger dissappearing to someplace he knew not. He held them with icy fingers that felt more like cold iron shackles than the soft, delicate hands he'd known before.

"I know how you feel. I empathise with you- but fear not, you won't have to worry about being the heir for much longer." His words had sunk into Sesshomaru's gut like a cold stone, making him shiver in apprehension, crying out when Anjiro moved his hands to pin Sesshomaru's above his head with one hand, picking up the dagger again in the other. Sesshomaru cried louder when he felt the blade part his kimono and slide along his skin in an almost tender way. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you- just make you hurt a little..."

Sesshomaru pulled himself from the memory abruptly, the thought calling an unnoticed shiver to run up his spine. He had kept his word, Anjiro; he'd made Sesshomaru bleed with dozens of tiny cuts while his father battled Anjiro's father, who had apparently tried to assasinate the lord in his sleep. It was one of the most emotionally and physically painful moments of his life. Being betrayed by someone he considered a friend, and tortured by said friend, in the course of one night...

Sesshomaru shook his head to dislodge the errant thoughts as he heard a soft knock on his door. "Enter," he said. A young male fox stepped into the chamber, holding in his arms a new set of clothes for the daimyo. He had his hair unusually short, just touching the nape of his neck, with bangs covering part of his face. He was smallish, and quite thin, but not uncomfortably so. In fact, he was quite nice to look at, if one ignored the scars on his wrists from the past Inu No Taisho had saved him from. He mentally cursed his father once more for being so weak- but at the same time, he applauded his heroism, foolish as it was. It made him more likable, and much more respectable, especially by his followers.

"I..." the young fox rather reminded Sesshomaru of Anjiro- or who he'd thought Anjiro to be- with his shy, but inquisitive disposition. But Renji was nothing like Anjiro had been; he'd loyally served Sesshomaru since being brought to the palace in Sesshomaru's early adolescence, and continued to do so. Renji did not speak much; so much, in fact, half the servants still assumed he was mute. But there were rare times he would carry out half-hearted discussions with Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru alone. Still, he preferred to use his body to talk rather than his voice, which was small, quiet, and often subtly raspy, though wether that was the result of past misuse or abuse, he did not know.

"Thank you, Renji." Sesshomaru did not need to hear the rest of his announcement to know what it would be. Renji was totally the opposite of himself- he wore his emotions on full display, all day, every day. Sesshomaru had tried to curb this habit, but by the time Renji had arrived, the behavior was too deeply engrained to be trained out of him- not without subjecting him to the terrors of his past all over again.

"Come, please" Renji often spoke very softly and with a breathy quality to his voice, especially when talking with others besides himself, which was rare, in order to diminish the effect of the usual raspyness his tenor voice usually had. Sesshomaru stood and followed Renji to a bath waiting in a nearby room, letting the servant assist in undressing him. Renji was one of very few people Sesshomaru allowed to touch him in such a way; it made a lot of the other servants envious. But his relationship with Renji was a lot like his relationship with Jaken, in a sense; both had served him a very long time, and both had earned certain priveledges that other servants simply did not possess. As for Jaken's whereabouts, the imp had decided to travel with his mother for a time- or rather, his mother volunteered the unwilling imp for the job of being her temporary travelling companion for once. He'd found it strange, but then, many things about that woman were strange.

He felt Renji undress as well, kneeling behind Sesshomaru in the bathwater and gently kneading his muscles. He had to admit it felt delightful, the way his deft, but scarred fingers ran over his shoulders and neck, down to his back. Renji served multiple purposes in Sesshomaru's service, as a personal servant, retainer, and at times healer. His sister, who worked as his cheif healer, was not nearly as close to Sesshomaru. However, she was not particularly close to anyone- except Renji. The two shared a bond he'd often wondered about, being as he had a sibling of his own, ableit a much more recalcitrant one.

Renji worked his tired muscles until Sesshomaru bid him away with a casual wave of the hand. He heard Renji dress himself and leave without a word, and gave himself a few moments to think, to _release_ his innermost thoughts. He let his mind wander where it wanted to for a time, too tired to stop it as he closed his eyes. His mind traced back to the tree, to Inuyasha's unexpected surprise, then on to his "fight" with the hanyou in which he had to put the mutt in his place the old fashioned way in an effort to retain integrity before Yuriei-sama, who clung very tightly to traditional values; He remembered the tengu's words, feeling himself bristle in spite of himself. He was alone now, so he allowed the anger and insult to rub him in all the wrong ways until it was satisfied and finally left him. He was reminded of his bitter anger and hurt about Anjiro, and didn't have the strength left in him from Renji's massage to fight the choking feeling and dull, but deep, throbs of anguish at the memory. Betrayal was never something he handled well. He was from there reminded of his father, and the betrayals he had suffered there. Why? Why did he sacrifice himself for something so trivial? That human woman couldn't have meant more to him than he did, surely? Leaving his only son to clean up the mess he made, especially as far as his mother was concerned, believing the lie Sesshomaru never wanted him to, the only one he'd ever desperately wanted his father to see through; that he was ready, that he was prepared in all the ways he pretended to be for the calamity his father's death had wrought. Servants had abandoned, his mother took control, and left Sesshomaru to handle everything else. Why? Why did it have to be this way?

 _'Quit wallowing in self pity'_ He told himself harshly. But he couldn't. He didn't have days like this but once a decade, in which he "cleansed" himself of all his deep, dark feelings and let them manifest on his face just once so that most of them might not ever find their way there again. But it seemed no matter how many times he did this, there were a few feelings he just couldn't shake from his core. They could be "released" like this as many times as he wanted, but with no audience, they would never go away. So he suffered with them, battled with them on a daily basis, kept them locked away as prisoners in his own mind, only occaisionally letting them out to "bleed" as he called it- to let them bleed out into the bath water, staining it a dark and ruddy color as the pain, the regret, the abandonment, the _anguish_ and the sorrow swirled around him in dizzying patterns that made his chest clench. He could not cry the way humans did- it wasn't a part of his biology. But that made the pain no less real for it. He stiffled a whine that threatened to escape him as his heart tried to bleed itself dry of feeling, of emotion, all at once- it was a slow, bittersweet agony.

But he was left with no choice if he wanted to stay sane. That's if he wasn't already crazy to begin with.

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 _ **...I close my eyes and bleed this empty heart of all that longs to die,**_

 _ **when faces lie and love will falter, I'm left with only time,**_

 _ **and time will break the dreams that take it all away...**_

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 **Ok, WOW! Talk about heavy stuff. I actually split this chapter in two, cuz I figured having the scroll bar on the right of the screen on my compter be the width of pencil lead was reason enough to stop here. Sorry for that!**

 **Ok, so here's the deal- I am going to (hopefully) make a sequel to this fic that breaks off somewhere around the next chapter (what was supposed to be this chapter) that is basically a "alternate timeline" kind of deal. The events will eventually come to replicate what I have planned in this fic in a vague sense (which is far from over, have no fear) but take a VERY different, MUCH DARKER route. And when I say DARK I mean it. If there was a rating above M, that sequel would go in it. It is that bad. (it also changes Inuyasha's role considerably)**

 **But that's not where this fic is going. You can read the sequel after you've finished this one if you want to, just know that if you do, it will not be rainbows and fluffy kitties.**

 **Lets start on the asterisks before I finish this long A/N, since theres a lot. (there was supposed to be more, but I figured I'd better draw the line somewhere)**

 ***Kasa-tengu:** _Kasa means "magpie"; they are both magpie-tengu. Magpies are closley related to crows, and can be just as gregarious, but are simultaneously much more independent. They don't "mob" the way crows or even ravens do._

 ****Karasu-tengu:** _A crow-tengu. The most common form of a "tengu"._

 *****Naginata:** _A halberd; that is, a spear with a knife or bayonett on the end of it._

 ******Kabuki-bird:** _called so because their white and red faces resemble Kabuki masks- however, fun fact: Kabuki, a style of theatre, wan't invented until the 1800's. In this case, I am implying via the whole "humans ferry them" thing that the masks and ultimately style were inspired by the bird, Which I promise is important later._

 *******Rin's resistance to pain:** _For those of you that didn't know it, Rin was severely abused in her past village, and had her arm brutally broken by a villager when she was really young, shown in the manga, without crying out in pain, suggesting she was either esistant to the pain or had tremendous self control. She was also badly beaten before she stumbled upon Sesshomaru, hence her broken teeth and bruises. She supposedly chose to follow him because he showed her more kindness than the humans of her village did. Her parents were also killed by bandits, and it's debated whether or not they were killed in front of her or not. However, she came from a really bad place, folks. Just so ya know._

 **^Ronin:** _A sword for hire basically, either a sword weilding peasant (Inuyasha is, by this definition, a Ronin) or a masterless or demoted Samurai._

 **^^Rokurokubi:** _In case ya didn'nt know, Rokurokubi are actually considered fairly weak, though they can become immensely strong from practise. They take the form of a human, give or take, the only difference being they can stretch their necks to great lengths._

 **Now, about the whole Shogun-thing:**

 **There are TWO shoguns that will take place in this fic. One from the human world (Ashikaga, the ruling shogun at the time of the Warring States Period) One from the to-be-explained Demon world, that Sesshomaru answers to. The Lord Mahiru. His role will be explained later.**

 **Now, to amend- I was apparently fed FALSE information about the Shogun-daimyo dynamic by a certain SOMEONE who shall not be named here. It works in a much simpler way:**

 **Shogun= king, more or less.**

 **Daimyo= warlord of said king. Hold claim on territories. To explain futher, Inu No Taisho's territory got smaller after his death because it became divided between Sesshomaru and Suigin, as well as Yuriei, though he only took a tiny corner for himself. This will all be explained much more later, but for the purposes of understanding me here...**

 **Have a good night/day all! And dont forget my golden rule: NO REVEIW, NO POST. Ciao.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, who's ready for some more drama from this drama-mama? Trust me it gets worse. If I'm slow its cuz I have another fic, brand new little Hellsing Ultimate x Black Butler crossover that is taking up my time big time with everyone's steady demand for MORE MORE like screaming baby birds (I aught to know what that sounds like, I work in wildlife rehab) To the point it has MORE demand than this one right now. Which is surprising because I really didn't put any thought at all into it, I just started scribbling on a page and then suddenly- BOOM! GIVE US MORE! GIVE US MORE! the people shout. So while I am rapidly feeding the tiny baby bird screaming at me over there, I promise I won't forget to feed you guys! You've been yelling at me too- you just dont scream like the cuckoo chick that is my other fic. Make sense? Probably not, but I had to try.**

 **On that note- please don't be mad at me for this chapter. Really, I wanted to get the ball rolling in a new direction- but its not my strongest point. (as evidenced by the 10 chapters of yaoi-free (except for Suigin) yaoi fanfiction. Bear with me!**

 **WARNING: SessxMom INCEST! Big time! (nothing explicit) Non-con/dub-con in nature. Bizarreness and rapidly changing POV that seem to make no sense, but I promise it will all come together. Mentions of brutality/ child-beating, domestic abuse, and psychological trauma. We WILL get around to Inuyasha more, I swear, but he's kind of floating right now (barely) until I get through Sesshomaru's head. Dreadfully fascinating, that damned pretty head of his. But I promise it will be Inuyasha's turn next! Until then, I hope you'll be satisfied with what I have given you!**

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 **CH X**

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 _ **Last time:**_ _'Quit wallowing in self pity' He told himself harshly. But he couldn't. He didn't have days like this but once a decade, in which he "cleansed" himself of all his deep, dark feelings and let them manifest on his face just once so that most of them might not ever find their way there again. But it seemed no matter how many times he did this, there were a few feelings he just couldn't shake from his core. They could be "released" like this as many times as he wanted, but with no audience, they would never go away. So he suffered with them, battled with them on a daily basis, kept them locked away as prisoners in his own mind, only occaisionally letting them out to "bleed" as he called it- to let them bleed out into the bath water, staining it a dark and ruddy color as the pain, the regret, the abandonment, the anguish and the sorrow swirled around him in dizzying patterns that made his chest clench. He could not cry the way humans did- it wasn't a part of his biology. But that made the pain no less real for it. He stiffled a whine that threatened to escape him as his heart tried to bleed itself dry of feeling, of emotion, all at once- it was a slow, bittersweet agony._

 _But he was left with no choice if he wanted to stay sane. That's if he wasn't already crazy to begin with._

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Rin walked back from the rice paddies to the south of the village, carrying a stock of herbs she'd found growing amidsts the now empty fields. It was winter- there were no crops growing now. She suppressed a shiver as a frigid wind blew past her. Looking up at the twilight sky she recalled her lord fondly for a moment, wondering when he would return. But more than that, she could not help but wonder when, and if _, Inuyasha_ would return. It was no secret that they were like siblings. Inuyasha had come to see her as a sister, in any case. She missed him for their sprite little arguments- missed him for his cocksure smile, missed him for his peculiar attitude and strength. For his protection. For his warm embrace that one night she'd admitted to him that her feelings for her Lord were not entirely of the nature they were probably meant to be and had stayed for some time crying in his affectionate embrace. She missed his memory already, and he hadn't been gone a week.

But then, she missed the way they had been before, too. Back then, she was a young child, and anything went- he could hold her, touch her, comfort her, and never thought twice about it because she was a _girl._ But now, at fourteen, she had stopped being a "girl" and started becoming a woman- her first bleeding not a month ago proved that. And now that she was getting older, she'd begun to notice that he'd been drifting away from her- well, he'd been drifting away from everyone lately, but it was strange to her, because usually they were pretty close. After coming to the village, she'd naturally taken to the hanyou- he was her Lords brother, and though they were very different, she seen a likeness between them that made her instantly attracted to him like a moth to flame. Kagome, too, was very kind to her, but...

Kagome had something she didn't- something she hadn't even known she'd wanted until it was long too late. Something that deeply confused her and made her irritable and angry at the drop of a pin whenever she was thinking of it because it _frustrated_ her. By all rights it wasn't something she should ever have thought about, but now that she had, the thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. It wasn't just love, either. No, Rin was jealous of Kagome's love, much as she was ashamed to be, but the shame hadn't stopped there. The more time she spent with Inuyasha, the more he grew on her. True, she still loved her lord with a heartbreaking ache deep in her chest, but in his absence something in her twisted mind attatched itself to the image that was his brother.

She was in love with Inuyasha.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

Nothing she could do about his love for Kagome either- except to feel an ill sort of contempt about it. She didn't blame Kagome for any of it, and wasn't jealous enough to push the poor woman out of the way- it wan't likely Inuyasha would have reciprocated her feelings in any case. No, she sat back and watched their relationship fall apart with a confusing mixture of releif (to her disgust) and sadness. She felt really bad for Kagome, being unable to have a child- she'd heard her cries of anguish the first time she'd lost the baby. It had pained her- Kagome was still her friend, even if she was shamefully attracted to her husband.

And attracted, indeed. She hadn't known anything of the feeling that was lust until Sango bregrudgingly explained it to her one evening. She'd said that as a growing girl she deserved to know- and Sango hadn't argued her much on the point, instead giving her a run-down of the female body with erratic hand gestures and a permanent blush on her face. She could not deny her feelings (more like simple curiousities at this point) about Inuyasha physically any more than she could emotionally. She wanted him to touch her shoulders, to wrap his arm around her and let her cry on his shoulder like he had that one night, wanted to have him hug her the way he did Kagome; and it was no longer just a childish need to be coddled, but a more mature longing for that physical comfort, she thought. It was still coddling, she often reminded herself, but it took on a distinctly different meaning now that she was old enough to recognise her feelings. She wanted to be loved, oh so desperately she wanted to be loved.

It was a very strange emotion for her, this longing for his touch. She longed for her lords touch in a similar way, but his touches had always meant something different to Rin. His touches were rare and held a different kind of significance. Whereas her Lord's touches were sparing and deeply meant, Inuyasha's were, while not exactly common, more...casual. Thoughtless acts of affection and appreciation. She admired them, admired him. And it kind of hurt, the fact that he wasn't here anymore. True, he hadn't been gone long, but...Rin's intuition told her that that wasn't gonna always be the case. She had no doubts that Sesshomaru-sama would return to her- he always kept his word, no matter what. But she had the impression from the time she'd watched Inuyasha leave that he wasn't going to ever come back. Not really. Not like he had before, anyway. Something inside Inuyasha had been changing, and while no one else seemed to really notice (except Miroku, who had taken to following his friend around like a duckling the last few weeks, keeping the otherwise depressed hanyou company, whether he wanted it or not) she had seen the anxiety in his stance, heard the desperate confusion in his voice...and heard him moaning in his sleep about some other person. It had been a painful revelation at first; in part because she refused to believe he'd ever dream about her that way (and she really didn't want him to, if she was honest- she may have been only a year away from child giving age, but that did not mean she was at all comfortable with the thought of sex, which, frankly, kind of disturbed her still) And also because she felt sad for Kagome in that moment. It all made sense, though- his distance from Kagome and growing closeness with Miroku.

She'd just wished he would have trusted her enough to get closer to _her._

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Eerius had taken to his chambers again, sipping this time on his tea, a black brew from the mainland. He marvelled at how he'd come across it in this forsaken time era, when black tea was not common, but was grateful for the small comfort that reminded him of home- his _real_ home.

"Are we going to go back any time soon?" Axce said, standing loyally by his side. She'd been serving him for almost two centuries, never once losing her faith in him. It made him proud, knowing he'd brought up well the tiny demon he'd found in the gutters of Liverpool all by herself all those years ago. Initially, he'd wanted to kill her- a thought he now looked back on with horror.

"Perhaps we should. But then what would I do about Sesshomaru?" He replied, easing into his- into _their_ native tongue. "I can't very well leave him here to flounder if he gets lost."

"Then keep one of your other pets here to inform him in your absence."

"Heh. And have them all brutally slaughtered? You don't know that boy the way I do. I know his mother equally as well. They both are quite ill-tempered individuals, you know."

"I know. But...Master, if I may, I don't think it's a good idea to keep aussaging the hanyou. I know you're just trying to help him, but I think the dreams are making things worse right now. He's left his family, his wife, his village-"

"-All of which was meant to be. Do you not trust your Master, Axce? I am a Seer; I know the fates which may possibly await the hanyou. However, I do not know _which_ fate. That is what I am trying to influence as far as my limitations will allow me to. For now, that means trying to mend those two's relationship. But perhaps, you have a point." He reverted back to speaking Japanese suddenly as his precious tengu walked into the room. He did not speak English, and was unsettled when they spoke the foreing tongue around him, not understanding what they were saying. "Perhaps I should give him a break. You should retrieve the substance, when you get the chance. We will let his mind rest for a time, without our influence. " He waved a hand at her, striking her with it and watching with a satisfied smirk as she turned to smoke and vanished. The tengu said nothing but instead left the room, leaving Eerius alone with his thoughts.

He hadn't wanted to manipulate the situation- he wasn't technicallyy supposed to- but he also cared deeply about the boy, Sesshomaru, and his mother. He'd known Kimiko since she was a small thing, and known her son similarly after an event caused her to rush to him, asking him to erase or modify the child's memory as only a Mage might. He'd refused to do either, but instead blocked the memory of his mother attacking him that night in confused panic. She hadn't wanted her pup to fear her for all eternity, thinking her some kind of monster, but ultimately her plan didn't quite work out that way. Sesshomaru may not have remembered who gave him those scars, but he remembered it had something to do with her, and Eerius had refused to block his emotions about the matter. The sense of abandonment and betrayal had remained with him until this point- a small price to pay for the things she'd done to the pup after that, if he were to be the judge of it. But he knew her time was coming- she wouldn't be around forever. He may have cared for her like a daughter, but that didn't mean he had to approve of her actions. What she'd done to Sesshomaru, and the permanent damage she'd inflicted on his psyche- that wasn't something any memory charm could erase, and she knew it, which is the only reason, so he thought, that she didn't bring her son to him then. Of course, it was Touga that had actually inflicted the physical damage, but that had been permissible because he hadn't understood then that his _wife_ had seduced their son and not the other way around. Were he in Touga's position at the time, he felt he'd of done a similar thing- though dogs had their own way of dealing with such affairs; violent, bloody ways, as it were.

He thought sadly of the condition of Sesshomaru's body right now. He was a fit boy, with good musculature, he was sure, but no amount of muscle and otherwise good looks could hide the physical scars he had. He knew for a fact he had scars on his side and back from his mother's accidental attack on him that night they'd been confronted by that wolf, and he didn't even want to know the kinds of scars he'd recieved in war or by the hand of his father that night his wretched mother had lost herself in her estrus* and invited her, then young adolescent and therefore hormonal son, into bed with her. He hadn't known any better, the poor pup. But she had, and that was what made him angry about the whole thing. She knew he wouldn't be able to control himself around the smell, and she knew he would mount her if she asked. And she did.

And Sesshomaru had been the one to pay.

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"Hit harder!" Sesshomaru barked. Inuyasha threw the punch with as much force as he thought he could use without breaking the target, a wooden manikin strapped up in demon-grade armor. It wasn't the armor he was worried about breaking, but the soft, delicate wood beneath it, which creaked and cracked with every punch. Sesshomaru hadn't been lying about training being exhaustive- he hadn't stopped, it felt, in three damn days. He'd been given precisely four hours a night to sleep, which normally wasn't a problem, except that it wasn't nearly enough to compensate for the massive amount of energy he was being required to burn off. Not only that, but he had been denied food since the first day he arrived here. One day. ONE day was all he'd been given to adjust, and then Sesshomaru was onto him about training. He wasn't the only one being trained, but was one of just four being trained by Sesshomaru personally. The daiyoukai had amassed a small army of about thirty in the three days he'd been here, with the remaining forces being trained by a second in command that Sesshomaru hadn't bothered to name. Yuriei had returned to his own territory yesterday, giving Inuyasha a strange look as he left. It had creeped him out, but so did everything else about the tengu.

"Stop." Sesshomaru commanded, and Inuyasha had to hold back a sharp retort. The last time he'd mouthed off, which was just yesterday as it was, he was slapped so hard he still had a bruise on his jaw and a healing lip that had split at the blow. Being slapped by Sesshomaru was decidedly worse than being punched by him- a punch at least was directed at just a small area of the face; a slap with the same force as a punch not only hit more of your face, making it hurt much worse, but left a larger, more recognisable print that added an element of shame to it that a good ol' fashioned slug just didn't. What's worse, he'd been stopped from hitting the bastard back by the other trainees, who looked just as ready to attack him for defying their lord as is he were the enemy. Maybe in their eyes he was.

"What now?" He whined. He couldn't help it. He was damn tired and _fuck_ he was hungry. Not a combination that often lead him to having a great mood.

"You are doing it wrong." He growled in frustration. Sesshomaru seemed to pick on him more than anyone else, and had been a constant thorn in his side since they started this.

"And how, exactly, do you propose I do it correctly?" He asked with a cheeky growl thrown in for good measure.

"You shouldn't fully extend your arm when you punch. A nemesis could break your elbow before you could stop them. You're also using your shoulder wrong."

"Oh, sorry Mr stuffy-pants, I didn't know there was a part of my damn _shoulder,_ which, y'know, is kind of all connected, that I was supposed to use." Sesshomaru's eyes closed and he shook his head, ignoring his jabs. He knew firsthand how frustrating training was in its early stages- his father had taught him exactly this routine. And like himself, it seemed Inuyasha was not the type to understand new concepts without example. It was a thought that shoud have irritated him, but it actually made this easier for him.

"Watch me," He said suddenly, standing off to Inuyasha's side. Inuyasha couldn't stop the look of shock on his face when Sesshomaru suddenly removed his kimono, letting it fall to his sides over his obi. He'd never seen Sesshomaru shirtless, _ever,_ and was not as surprised as he felt he should have been to find that Sesshomaru was quite muscular, especially around the shoulder and bicep. Inuyasha had a similar build- it was the build of a heavy, broad or long-sword user.

He was , however, surprised to find that Sesshomaru had a nasty looking scar on his left side, near his back. It was situated above his hip but below his ribs. It looked faint, so the wound was old, but it was still prominent. One area of the scar was darker than the other, indicating a puncture wound- the edges of the scar were jagged instead of smooth, to probably a bite rather than a cut. As of to confirm it, he looked closer and found other fainter -shallower- scars running diagonally from the wound up his back in a consistent pattern that made them out to be teeth.

 _'what the hell bit him that badly?'_ He wondered to himself silently. He let his eyes wander shamelessly, finding other scars on his brother's stomach and noticed with a jump in his stomach that shouldn't have happened that there was a faint, ring-like scar around his left arm where it had once been severed. There was another tiny scar on his collarbone that looked fresher, at least a month old, probably newer considering the demon healing rate. "What happened to you?" He accidentallly wondered out loud, immediately removing his wandering gaze and pinning it to the ground with a blush once he realised what he'd been doing. To his surprise, he seen from the corner of his eye Sesshomaru smirk before turning to the target- when did he get so close?- and take up a fighting stance Inuyasha had never seen him use. Actually, come to think of it, he'd never seen Sesshomaru use _any_ fighting stance.

"I have been to war before, Hanyou. Much as men like to boast about being scarrless and unscathed from their trife little battles, they know nothing of what true war is," he said, voice for a moment reminding Inuyasha of Miroku when he got all sagely. "True war leaves a scar on every man, no matter how indefatigable. I have seen two wars in my life, and earned scars from each one. What have you to say from your own battles, Hanyou?" Sesshomaru openly mocked him now, sarcastic smile in place. "Have you scars for your valliant efforts?"

"Tsk. Of course I do." And he _did_. He had a scar from Sesshomaru plunging his hand through his chest, another from the time the bastard hit him with his poison whip across the gut, and now he was sure another one from being bitten by him. He had one scar inflicted on him by Naraku, _one._ "And you gave me all of them." He said disgruntly. Sesshomaru's expression faltered for a moment before his smirk became a smile- though it looked almost painful to Inuyasha. _'bastard doesn't smile enough, probably pulling some face muscles big time'_ he mused.

"Good." he said, turning his attention back to the target. Inuyasha felt like he was being kept out of something then, felt a moment pass between them that he felt like was important for some reason. "Now, watch my shoulders as I move, and do as I do." Sesshomaru moved in semi-slow motion as he made a punching motion to the target, but stayed far enough away that he didn't hit it. He repeated the action a few times, and Inuyasha seen what he meant about not fully extending his arm- but he seen no change in his shoulder.

"Try."

Inuyasha did, and no more had he gotten his arm out to hit the target then he was being stopped. "What now?"

"You still aren't using your shoulder right."

"Damnit! You aren't a very good teacher, y'know!"

"Nor are you an ideal student," He said, facing Inuyasha with his eyes closed once more as he took a deep breath as if to calm himself.  
"Face me."

"What?"

"Take your position. Try to fight me. If I win, by tackling you, you have to do this all night until you get it right. If I lose-" He smirked. "You can stay in my room for one night." The deal seemed fair. Inuyasha smirked smugly, but felt a warning flag go up in his head. "What if you cheat? You're a lot stronger than I am physically; you could always force me down." He didn't like admitting it, but he had to be sure. Sesshomaru's smirk widened mischeiviously. Perfect.

"I would never adopt such underhanded tactics- at least not until you are more proficient at hand to hand combat. Now strike me!" He commanded, giving Inuyasha no time to think as he struck for the hanyou. He blocked to the best of his ability, but d _amn_ he was fast. Had he been holding out on him all this time? The thought made Inuyasha genuinely wonder, but a swift punch to the gut drew him from his musings.

"Pay attention!"

Suddenly the world seemed like a dream. Everything felt surreal, yet he was still completely conscious. Aware, even, as Sesshomaru made to hit his face and he reflexively dodged. This wasn't happening. Sesshomaru wasn't standing there giving him a surprised look, training him to go to war alongside him. There hadn't been any perceived acts of kindness or unexpectedly gentle handling of that bird in the yard, there wasn't any _Sesshomaru_ here, with him now. No, this wasn't the half brother he knew. But then, how much could he say he really _knew_ about the daiyoukai? Glancing quickly to Sesshomaru's exposed ribs, he let his eyes scan the bite scars there. _'how much do I really know?'_

Without thinking about it, he felt his hands push against Sesshomaru's exposed chest harder than he'd meant as he came back around to throw a swing. There was an almost creepy smile on his face, as if he was genuinely enjoying this. Inuyasha felt something connect in that moment, between them; they were both enjoying this, beating the crap out of each other, and neither of them cared. It was different from their fights before, the mutual glory they both had at that- after all, they weren't fighting here, but training. In a move Inuyasha didn't even know he knew, he pushed against the center of his brother's chest with his palms flat, throwing the daiyoukai off his balance with a surprised grunt. Seeing an opportunity in a sudden moment of clairty, he ducked to avoid a blow from Sesshomaru's leg and swept his own under him. Sesshomaru dodged, of course- but totally missed it when he came up from the ground with a strangely energised force and hit him with a viscious uppercut straight to his jaw.

Sesshomaru reeled from the blow, which had been a lot harder than he'd intended it to be- but damnit, if they were trying to knock each other down, he _had_ to hit the bastard hard, or he'd never feel it. He seemed to feel it now, though, staggering back on his feet with a surprised noise. Inuyasha himself was surprised- he hadn't really been thinking before he made that move, he just kind of _did it._ Expecting to see the light of rage in his brother's eyes when he righted himself, he instead found a mixture of amusement and surprise. He spat suddenly, and Inuyasha noticed with a tremor of shock that it was scarlet. Sesshomaru began to laugh suddenly, a noise he was pretty sure he'd never heard before. It was difficult to place if it had malice in it or not, but it scared him anyway.

"I admit I am impressed! It's been a _long_ time since anyone has hit me that hard- and a hanyou, no less," He laughed again, and Inuyasha decided that making Sesshomaru laugh was as bad an omen as making him smile- if not worse. He spat again, more blood. _'Damn, did I really hit him hard enough to knock his teeth loose? The fuck-'_ Inuyasha was suddenly confused- how the hell had he done that?

"Wherever did you learn to fight like that, Inuyasha? " Sesshomaru asked suddenly- he was still smirking, but it was tamer now. "I...don't know." he answered honestly. Sesshomaru arched a brow at this, face changing quickly from amusement to irritation. "I don't know, honestly! I just kind of...lost myself for a second. Then, next thing I know, I hit you square in the face and you're spitting blood." He explained, slightly dazed despite not being the one who got hit. A sudden light of understanding dawned on Sesshomaru's face then, and he seemed to understand what happened better than Inuyasha himself.

"Of course- that explains why training you has been so difficult. I guess I should have known you'd be that type of fighter; Father was too." Inuyasha snapped out of his daze, giving Sesshomaru a befuddled look. "What type of fighter? What the hell are you talking about?" Sesshomaru only smirked knowingly before turning on his heel suddenly and putting his Kimono back over his shoulder- Inuyasha pretended not to see another scar just to the right of his spine, the other half of the bite scars, but felt it pique his curiousity all the same. He didn't look back at Inuyasha as he raise his hand in a beckoning motion. "Come with me."

"Where are we going? What's going on?"

"You and I will be training in the Dojo today. One on one." One on one? What the hell whas that supposed to mean?

"Sesshomaru? _Sesshomaru!?_ Answer my question's damnit!"

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 **Ok, that was fun, right? Hope ya'll're ready for the yaoi to ensue- hopefully it will after a few chapters. But first we gots to get Sesshy on the "oh shit I think I have feelings for you" train. Yeah...**

 **ASTERISKS!**

 ***Estrus:** the "heat" cycle most female mammals go into. Estrus is specifically the "heat" part of it, in which the female is most fertile and ready to mate. We use fancy words because Eerius is brittish, in case you missed that. (Liverpool is in England...I think) and a Mage/Seer that is possibly thousands of years old. No one really knows. I had to bring him back somehow.

 **Please, REVIEW and let me know what you think so I can post the next chappy! Also, I want to point out this is the very first time I have written an entire chapter in one day (it took me FIVE HOURS but I got it done). Woo! And you guys get it early! :)**


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